


Loving Jacob

by One_tired_boi



Category: Defending Jacob (TV 2020), I Am Not Okay with This (TV 2020)
Genre: Anyways, Blowjobs, Emotional Manipulation, F/F, F/M, Gay Jacob Barber, Homophobia, Intrusive Thoughts, Jacob Barber is an asshole, Jacob Barber is psychotic, Jacob wants to kill Stan, Lawyer Andy Barber, Lesbian Sydney Novak, M/M, Manipulation, Stanley Barber loved Jacob Barber, Syd and Stan are best friends, There's a criminal lack of ianowt fics and dj fics, Trauma, Violent Porn, Yikes, at first at least, bi Dina (I am not okay with this), bi Stanley Barber, but also soft, end of the fucking world au, horny teens, idk if these tags even exists, is the abbreviation for defending Jacob dj????, jerking off, oh well, poor stan, this is Jacob we’re talking about, um chile anyways, w a c k, why is Jacob Barber/ Georgie Denbrough a real tag, wtf people
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:54:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 22
Words: 34,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24517261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/One_tired_boi/pseuds/One_tired_boi
Summary: Jacob Barber and his family move into the not so quiet town of Brownsville, Pennsylvania. After losing Brad Lewis, the town is in a state of shock, meaning the famous Barbers can move there virtually undetected. Andy Barber is quick to pick up the mysterious case of Brad Lewis's death, while Stan and Dina struggle to cope with what's happened. Jacob Barber has other things on his mind though when he meets Stanley Barber, and his thoughts are anything but innocent.Or: An End of the Fucking World type deal where Jacob Barber wants to hurt Stanley Barber in all the wrong ways.and Stanley Barber just wants to show him what love is
Relationships: Andy Barber & Laurie Barber, Jacob Barber/ Derek, Jacob Barber/Stanley Barber, Sydney Novak/Dina
Comments: 135
Kudos: 80





	1. Jacob Barber Is Not Okay With This

**Author's Note:**

> ello my lovelies, I hope you enjoy this wacky take on Defending Jacob and I Am Not Okay With This. 
> 
> also violence bad plz don't take after Jacob and read tags I’m warning  
> Ok bye

Stanley Barber knew more than most people about serial killers. Don’t get me wrong though, he wasn’t one of those Ted Bundy fangirls that you hoped to never meet. Instead, he was more interested in what made a killer, not so much the actual killing part. Back when his mom still gave a shit they would watch documentaries together, making dark jokes about even darker subjects. They bonded over these shows and sometimes Stan hoped his dad would meet one of the people they talked about. Maybe at a gas station, when he filled up the eighteen-wheeler. Maybe inside the actual store, where he got his cheap beers and cigarettes. Either way, Stan could never deny that these thoughts occurred to him more often then he’d liked. He was in 6th grade at the time. 

Now, Stan didn’t know what to do with the knowledge that he knew an actual killer, one that nobody knew about but him. Brad Lewis was dead, after exploding all over the homecoming dance floor. Syd, the killer in question, was MIA. It had been almost a full week, and nobody had seen her. 

School had been canceled for the next two weeks, while an investigation took place and the small town recovered. Stan thought the headlines were the worst part, almost every station was bombarded with Brad’s smug face. 

“Local football legend teen dies at local High School Homecoming” 

“Town Prodigy dies at the local dance”

“Teen Bradley Lewis mysteriously dies at high school dance” 

Most of the articles were bat shit crazy. One claimed it was an act of domestic terrorism; that he had a bomb in his mouth and was out for blood. Others claimed a sniper had shot off his head, in a similar fashion to JFK. Those in denial claimed that he hadn’t even died and that the school was covering up something far more sinister. Nobody knew the truth, nobody but Stan and Syd. 

The cops decided to rule it suicide to give closure to the grieving family. When they’d interviewed Stan originally he’d told them Brad probably killed himself. I guess they liked that idea more than the terrorist thing. 

Covering for Syd wasn’t that hard to do. Deep down Stan knew she didn’t mean to do it. And that justified it, right? He kinda deserved it after outing her, right? Case closed, end of sentence. Besides, Syd shouldn’t go to jail, and there’s no way anyone could have proven her guilty. Not without being thrown in an insane asylum. 

So Stan accepted his new reality, and when the guilt hit him particularly bad he would just smoke a joint and forget about the whole thing. Which was fine, until a new boy showed up and everything changed. 

His name was Jacob, which Stan only knew because he’d heard his mom calling him one afternoon while they unpacked their moving van. They’d moved only two houses down from him, the opposite way Syd lived. It was a nice grey and blue house, sort of modern and the sort of house that looked like it belonged anywhere but Brownsville. 

So he watched with curiosity as this new family moved into what they hoped would be a semi-permanent home. They’d moved 8 times over the past two years, and Jacob hadn’t stepped foot in a school since Ben’s death. He continued with homeschooling, his second-grade teacher Skyped him even as they drove. Seventeen years old and he still had the same old teacher. 

This new Pennsylvania place seemed promising. A kid had just died there, something tragic but familiar. Andy intended on picking up the case after he’d heard about it on the news. So, as spontaneous and impulsive as their genetic tests had proven them to be, they’d dropped everything and moved less than a day after he’d heard about it. Jacob wasn’t thrilled about moving, they’d just moved only four months ago and he was just starting to like it in North Carolina. He knew he didn’t have a say, though. 

“This town sucks,” Jake muttered to his dad while carrying a box through the front door. Their new home was actually kinda big, especially compared to the last house they’d stayed at. The town looked like garbage, though. In North Carolina, there were beaches and tourists, it was summer for goodness sake. But that meant he got recognized almost every day, someone always seemed to know about the most famous killer in America. 

“Just try to make the most of it, ok? Don’t make this any harder on your mother than it has to be.” his dad responded coolly. 

“Whatever.” 

It was a little while later when Stanley saw ‘the new kid’ again. It was two in the morning, and Stan was out on his porch ‘mowing the grass’. He’d seen the light flicker off in the new kid’s room, which faced the road from the second level. He appeared to be climbing out his window, and with little care at that. His lanky figure illuminated as he jumped onto a tree next to his window, the light shining brightly on him as the leaves rustled. He made his way down the tree pretty ungracefully, and Stan chuckled to himself at the sight. New people always intrigued him, his latest friend Syd was a prime example. 

“Hey, I think that’s against the neighborhood watch,” Stan yelled out, not caring about his sleeping mother that laid on their old leather couch. 

Jacob practically jumped when he realized someone was calling to him. 

“You wanna come over, ya know, so they don’t catch you?” Stan was vaguely aware of how much he sounded like a serial killer. 

“Neighborhood watch?” Jacob called back, more quietly than Stan. He made his way over to his new neighbor’s house, with no real question of safety. He figured he was probably the most dangerous kid in town anyway. 

“Yeah, they’ll get you if you’re outside,” Stan said calmly. Jacob was now standing in front of him, and he could finally take in just how beautiful this stranger was. 

“Is that so? Then how come you’re out here?” Jacob asked with a hint of sarcasm. He’d gotten better at showing emotions after years of therapy, although Laurie was still pretty convinced her only son was a sociopath. Luckily there was a “great” therapist at this new school he would be attending. 

Stan let out a laugh. “They usually don’t mess with the ‘town stoner.’ Speaking of which, you want some?” Stan extended his arm out to Jacob, offering his lite joint. 

“I don’t even know you,” Jacob said defensively. 

“Oh right, how could I forget. I’m Stanley, Stanley Barber.” He offered his other hand out for a quick handshake and a signature Stanley smile. 

“Barber- interesting. I’m Jacob Barber.” 

“Jacob Barber?” 

Isn’t that the kid from the news? Jacob could almost hear him say. 

“I hope you’re not my long lost cousin or something. That would be kinda awkward when I invite you to my place.” Stanley joked. 

“I highly doubt that, so I’ll accept your offer.” 

“Oh? Ok! Right this way sir Barber.” Stan was surprised that Jacob had taken him up on his invitation. He didn’t usually have that much luck when it came to new friends. 

When they opened Stan’s basement door, Jacob was met with the “do you like Bloodwitch” question almost instantly. 

“Uhh no. I don’t really listen to a lot of music.” He thought back to when Sarah used to make him listen to Halsey- those were scary days. 

“Here,” Stan pulled out his big hunky headphones, placing them on Jacob’s head from behind. Their hands brushed as Jacob went to adjust the headphones, and Stan almost blushed. 

Oh. Oh no. Jacob thought to himself. He didn’t want another situation like Derek, not ever again. He glanced at his watch and it was going on three. 

The song, “Fly” by Bloodwitch, drew to an end, and Jacob drew in a sharp breath when Stan took the headphones off his head. 

“So, what’d you think?” Stan asked innocently. 

“It was great, but I think I gotta go,” Jacob said nervously. His intrusive thoughts were saying all the wrong things about Stan and his hands and his curly hair and his music but mostly about his chest and waist. 

He didn’t want to ruin this though, whatever this was. He’d never met someone this soon after moving, and he did NOT want to fuck it up. 

Stan was obviously disappointed, but he nodded in response. 

“Uhh,” Jacob started, “we should do this again sometime. I’d like to hear more uhh Bloodwitch.” he’d barely gotten out the words before Stan lite up. 

“Really? That’d be great! You can leave through the front door, and uh, come by anytime man. There’s really nothing to do around here while school’s out.” 

“What do you mean?” Jacob asked curiously. 

“Uh well, this kid died at our school a few days ago and we have off for like two weeks while they investigate.” 

“Holy shit,” Jacob stammered. His parents hadn’t told him the reason they’d moved here but this was a good indicator. 

“Yeah, it's kinda crazy. Anyways, I wouldn’t wanna keep you out too late. See ya around, Jacob Barber.” 

“You too, Stan.” Stanley smiled at the nickname. 

Jacob slipped through the front door of Stan’s house, barely thinking as he raced to his own house. His hard-on throbbed as he climbed up the tree, and he could barely think by the time he was in bed, logged on to Cutter.com. He knew it was a bad idea, and he hadn’t even been on it in months. Something about having your porn history on display to the entire country really is a turn-off. Yet the thoughts of stupid Stanley Barber went straight to his dick, unfortunately enough. He searched the website for a sufficient look alike until he was satisfied. He didn’t care if it was morally wrong, he only cared that his parents could never find out. 

The young adult on screen had a knife to his throat and pleaded for his life. Jacob finished and cleared his history, although deep down he knew it didn’t matter. He knew his parents thought he was a freak, even if he was proven innocent. There was nothing innocent about his thoughts as he fantasized about Stanley Barber, thoughts that he began compiling into a story. He was smarter this time, he’d learned enough from his past mistakes. He wrote quickly on notebook paper, which he hid in an old book. 

“Jason climbed out of his bedroom window, eager to meet the new neighbor that called to him from across the dark street. His trusty friend is ever-present in his pocket, waiting to be used again. The pretty boy would never see it coming.”


	2. An Oxford Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically Jacob falling hard for one Stanley Barber

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I self indulgently wrote this instead of finishing the mounds of corona work I have but that's f i n e

“Jacob, open the door,” said Laurie from the hallway. He’d locked it the night before, after a brief argument with his parents. He’d decided to check out the town, only instead to find Stanley Barber smoking a joint. Oh god, did that really happen? 

“Coming, I’m just um- getting dressed.” He took this time to close his window, that he’d forgotten to close the night before in his rush home. 

He raced to his door and threw it open after fiddling with the lock. Laurie glanced into his room and saw that he hadn’t unpacked a single box. His laptop laid askew on top of his unmade bed. It bothered her how little he cared for his belongings. 

“Uh, breakfast is ready sweetie,” she said nervously. 

“Thanks, mom,” Jacob responded, pushing past her through the door. Things had been tense between them since what they called “the accident.” Jacob knew it was anything but that, especially after he overheard his parents arguing one night when they lived in North Carolina. 

“C’mon Laurie, he’s not stupid. I know it was an accident but still, he gets tense every time you drive the car. He never takes his eyes off the road! He doesn’t even want a license and he’s seventeen years old!” His dad had said. It was around 1:30 and both his parents had been drinking at a beach party. Jacob was surprised they’d even been invited. 

“I don’t see how things can ever be the same,” Laurie added. After a brief pause of thinking, she’d said, “it might be better this way, without him driving. What if he wanted to harm people- to crash the car?” 

“You mean like you!” Andy fired back. Sometimes his lawyer mentality never left. 

“I- I just wanted to know the truth, you have to understand! All he ever does is lie! We could be living with a killer, I mean we have no reason to think he didn’t do it.” Laurie said calmly, like she’d rehearsed it a thousand times in her head. Like she couldn’t think anything else. 

“Sweet Jesus, that’s our son you’re talking about! I’m trying my hardest to give him a normal life and you crash the goddamned car!” Andy raised his voice, but came back down afterward apologetically. “Listen, Laurie, I know you seem to think that our son is a murderer, but we have to believe that he isn’t. I’m sorry I yelled, ok? Maybe we should just go to bed, I can already feel the hangover I’m gonna have.” 

“Listen, Andy, I never wanted him to get hurt like that. I mean PTSD over everything else, it’s insane. I wanted it to be quick and painless. I wanted justice.” Laurie was almost whispering to her terrified husband. 

“Justice- you think justice is crashing our only son into a tunnel? You think justice is causing him to be in a three-month fucking comma? Tell me, because that sounds a hell of a lot worse than what happened to Ben.” 

“Seriously Andy, you know that’s not what I meant. Don’t bring Ben into this.” 

“I’m going to bed, Laurie. Fix things with Jacob, if not for you than for me. If you could like my dad even after everything he did then you can at least treat Jacob the same. That’s your son, Laurie. Your son.” Andy climbed into bed, trying his hardest to forget all his troubles as he drifted off to sleep. Laurie sighed before dumping the rest of her glass off the balcony and climbing into bed after Andy. It was hard for her to fall asleep, though. Knowing Jacob was one room away. 

“What’s for breakfast?” Jacob called his dad from upstairs. 

“Scrambled eggs,” he called back. The table had arrived yesterday afternoon with the late moving truck. Andy had taken the time to set it for breakfast, but everyone ate at different spots. 

“I’m going out today,” Laurie announced when she walked back downstairs. “I have a job interview and I’d like to do some shopping for our sad empty fridge.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Andy replied, chewing on eggs. “I’m actually going out as well; meeting the officers on the Bradley Lewis case. I’d like to get a jump start on it. Have you heard, Jacob?” 

“Uhh yeah, didn’t he like blow up on a dance floor or something?” 

“Correct, and it’s my job to find out what exactly led to that,” he said pridefully. 

“Well good luck guys,” Jacob said plainly. 

“Thanks, Jake, you sure you’re ok here by yourself?” Andy asked worriedly. 

“Yeah, maybe I can meet the neighbors or something?” 

Laurie glanced nervously at Andy. “Sure thing bud,” Andy said confidently. 

Twenty minutes had gone by since his parents had left, so Jacob took it as prime Stanley Barber time. He walked calmly over to his house, knocking twice on his old rusty door. 

The door flung open after a minute had gone by, and Jacob smiled until a different figure came to view. 

“Who the fuck are you?” asked an obviously hungover middle-aged woman. 

“Hi, I’m Jacob Barber, the new neighbor-” 

“Please god don’t tell me I have another lost child.” She said weakly. 

“Erm, no, I just happened to move in a few days back and I was wondering if Stan was here.” Jacob fiddled anxiously with his hands, he hated talking to new people, and his comfort zone was very much stepped out of. 

“STANLEY! SOME KID’S HERE TO SEE YOU!” she hollered obnoxiously through the house. 

“COMING MA!” The familiar voice yelled back. A few moments later and Stanley Barber was standing in front of him, his button-up shirt undone, his chest and collar bones exposed. 

Shit. Jacob was painstakingly aware of the blush that crept across his face. “Hi, uhh I was wondering if you wanted to help me unpack a few things?” It then hit him how stupid that sounded.

“Oh, sure! Let me grab up my cassette tape, you got a player?” 

“Uhh, no- sorry,” Jacob said quietly, his confidence rapidly depleting before his eyes. 

“Oh, that’s ok! I can just play it from my phone!” Stan responded with a smile. 

They walked into Jacob’s house and Stan was instantly aware of how plain it was. Grey walls, marble countertops, white rugs over dark oak floors, the whole shebang. Jacob led the way to his bedroom, up the plain wooden steps with no pictures on the walls. It was so different than anywhere Stan had ever been, it felt almost like school. 

“So what’d you think?” Jacob asked as he opened his bedroom door. The same white walls covered his room, which at least was bright and illuminated by the sun. 

“Maybe some fuckin’ curtains would be nice,” Stan joked. 

“It’s a work in progress,” Jacob said defensively, but he was smiling from ear to ear. 

“Then shall we progress?” 

They worked in silence as Bloodwitch filled the room. Stan helped him hang his new navy blue curtains, along with make his bed and unpack his clothes. Last night he’d slept with only a throw blanket, which was grey like the rest of his house. 

“Man I’m just gonna be honest with ya, you need some color in here.” he emphasized the word ‘need’ to really get his point across. 

“Oh, are the blue curtains not good enough?” Jacob asked sarcastically. 

“Definitely not. I’ll tell you what, you get me again tomorrow and I’ll bring some of my extra shit over. Maybe I’ll thrift you some stuff too.” Stan said earnestly. 

“Or I could just go with you?” Jacob added with a smile. 

Stan practically jumped with joy. “Yes! Fucking yes, let’s go. I can drive us.” 

The drive to the local Goodwill was anything but bland. They sang the Beatles, the one band Jacob knew while Stan drove twenty miles over the speed limit. 

Eleanor Rigsby blasted through the old car, and Jacob admired the sad violin that accompanied the haunting vocals. 

“I don’t know what it is about you,” Stan said suddenly when the song ended. 

Jacob fiddled with his hands again anxiously as the question registered to him. “What do you mean?” 

“Well,” Stan started. This one would be hard to explain. “This really cute boy moves in two houses down from me, and I’m completely frazzled. How did he get here? What’s up with that? Why are there no colors in his house?” 

“So you think I’m cute,” Jacob said excitedly, losing his prior uneasiness.

“Oh yeah,” Stan said with a smile, turning away from the street. 

“Eyes on the road buddy,” Jacob said nervously. He still felt uncomfortable in cars, especially with super cute drivers that were practically strangers. 

“My bad,” Stan replied easily. After a moment he continued his tangent. “But yeah, I just can’t figure out what’s up with you. What could cute Jacob Barber be possibly hiding?” 

Jacob felt his heart drop at the comment. Did he know? “Oh wouldn’t you like to know,” he said with a small laugh. “I’ll tell you what, you share a secret and I’ll share one too.” That should buy him enough time to come up with a secret. 

“Ok Barber, I’ll take you up on that offer,” Stan said colly. “I have pimples going all down my back.” That one usually worked in swooning people. 

“Uh, what?” Jacob said lightheartedly. It was definitely not what he was expecting. 

“Oh yeah. Like covered in bacne. Now you, reveal your darkest truth, Mr. Barber.” 

“First of all, Mr. Barber would be my prodigious oxford Lawyer dad,” Jacob said with as much sophistication as possible. 

“An oxford man I see, is he any good?” 

“Oh, he’s plenty good.” That’s actually part of my secret! He got me out of going to jail! “So I guess for my secret I’d say that my dad uhh- won’t let me get my license.” Jacob stammered out. 

“Woah woah woah, hold the phone buddy. How old are you again?” 

“Just turned seventeen a few weeks ago,” Jacob responded. 

“Oh then in that case we’re getting you a birthday gift too, anything you want pal.” Jacob laughed at that, genuine laughter that he hadn’t felt in a long, long time. 

They pulled up at the Goodwill, and Stan almost hit some ginger in the parking lot.”Oh my fucking god!” Stan said excitedly. “That’s my friend Syd! Jacob, you have to meet her!!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh lawd 
> 
> for someone who finished the show yesterday, I sure do have lot of ideas (prob a bad thing for Stan) 
> 
> comments are what keep me thriving!!


	3. Sydney Novak Entered the Chat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically Stan spends the day with Jacob and Syd, but things don't go as p l a n n e d

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello yes here's Jacob being stupid for you all 
> 
> so you know how T is next to Y on the keyboard well I can't tell u how many times I fuckin typed STD instead of Syd

“SYD OH MY GOD!!!” Stan flung his car door open, parked diagonally between two spots. Luckily the parking lot was empty, except for a beat up sedan that Jacob could only assume belonged to one of the employees. 

“Stan? What the fuck?” Syd started, but was cut off by Stan drawing her into a tight hug. Jacob felt a pang of jealousy at the sight. He climbed out of the car and stood awkwardly to the side as the two conversed. 

“What happened? I was so scared after I got back up and you were gone and Brad- holy shit what happened to Brad? Syd you have to tell me what happened!” Stan pleaded with his friend, who was not having any of it. 

“Uhh, who’s that?” Syd nodded over to Jacob, the onlooker. She didn’t really want to spill all of her secrets in front of the strange boy. 

“Oh, right! That’s Jacob, my new neighbor,” Stan walked over to him and tugged him forwards towards Syd. 

“Hi, I’m Jacob,” he said as he shook her hand. 

“Yeah, I heard Stan the first time.” She said coldly. 

“So- what brings you to this neck of the woods?” Stan asked suddenly, drawing the attention away from the previous tension. 

“I’m just uhh, buying some clothes. For my um brother. Yeah I’m buying clothes for Liam.” She stammered out, refusing to hold eye contact with Stan. 

“Uh yeah, we can talk about that later. How about 9? Meet me at my place?” Jacob once again was filled with jealousy as Stan made plans right in front of him, although it wasn’t his place to intrude. 

“Sure Stanley. I’ll be on my way then,” Syd eyed Jacob up and down questioningly before walking away. 

“Wait Syd! You need a ride?” Stan called out from a few parking spaces away. Jacob regretted ever coming out here with him. 

“No thanks Stan, I’d rather um- walk.” Stan knew that likely wasn’t the case because Syd despised waking, but he kept to himself as they entered the store. 

“So- what exactly are we looking for?” Jacob asked when they got inside. 

“Well, first of all you need some decorations. Your room needs some serious TLC. Maybe a rug, or a cool lamp? That could spice the place up.” 

“Oh yeah?” 

They browsed the isles, sometimes making fun of clothes the others had picked out. Stan insisted on clothes shopping first. 

“You would look outstanding in this,” Stan said suddenly as he pulled a honey corduroy jacket off the coat hanger. 

“If you say so,” Jacob said jokingly, but he kept the jacket to try on for later. 

After searching through the slim pickings of clothes for what felt like hours, they moved onto the ever slimmer selection of room decor. Stan managed to find a tie dye rug in semi decent condition, so they picked it up. It was mostly orange, so Jacob thought it would contrast his blue curtains. They also got a globe, some old books for the aesthetic, a salt lamp and some vinyls and cassettes Stan insisted that he had to have. By some alignment of the stars they managed to find a player, from what looked to be the 70s. Stan explained he’d buy it for him as a birthday gift, at the striking $8 it cost. Jacob appreciated it though, and was eager to set it up in his bland bedroom. 

The cashier explained that the Lewis family had dumped half of their house off a few days ago, and that the boys were “lucky” to have “such a good find.” 

Stan bought a striped shirt for Jacob as well, explaining that his plain grey tee “just didn’t do it.” Jacob obliged. By the time they left they’d spent a good $30 on useless shit, the clothes included. 

“Are you sure you’re cool with buying all this stuff?” Jacob asked Stan again. 

“Oh yeah, I make pretty big bank at the bowling alley. You should come by sometime, the place is virtually empty.” 

On the way home Jacob thanked Stan profusely, but Stan explained he could make it up to him by letting him come over and finish setting up his room. They stopped by a gas station on the way home, where Stan explained he needed to “make a deal.” Jacob went inside the store and bought them both cherry slushies. The cashier here was far less enthusiastic about her job, and she blew her bubble gum annoyingly as Jacob’s thoughts drifted to the television behind her. 

“No breakthrough yet on the Brad Lewis case, but new lawyer Andy Barber has taken the case” 

What the fuck? He thought as he paid the cashier the two dollars he owed. 

When he came back outside the client of Stan’s was gone, and he was jamming out to Bloodwitch in the car. 

“Cherry slushie! You’re so good to me Jacob Barber,” Stan said with a smile as he took the first sip. “Ahh fuck- brainfreeze!” 

“Pathetic,” Jacob laughed as Stan winced in pain. He felt a twirl in his stomach and oh god not here anywhere but here- he crossed his legs, hoping it would go away but ironically now he was the one in pain. It didn’t take long for him to realize that every time Stan squeezed his eyes shut in pain Jacob got more turned on. Why the fuck was he getting a boner at this? 

“P-put your thumb on the roof of your mouth,” he advised as he tried to ignore his third leg. Stan seemed too preoccupied with his own problem to notice. Thank God. 

“Ahh, thanks Jake,” he said easily after the brain freeze had gone away. ‘Is that ok if I call you that, Jake I mean.” 

“Uh huh.” Jacob tried his best to respond. 

“I mean it’s ok if you don’t want me to, like I totally get it. It’s sometimes weird when people call me Stan, I’m like my names’ Stanley for goodness sake.” 

“Right.” 

“Not that that’s bad, though, calling me Stan. I mean I like it when you do it, just not when like my teachers call me it and stuff.” Stan was getting all flustered, and was saying all the wrong things. Jacob felt himself growing closer to finishing, but he knew he would never recover from doing it in the goddamned car. 

“Uh, excuse me for a minute,” Jacob said urgently as he hoped out of the car. 

“You sure? Is it the name thing? Because I can totally call you Jacob!” 

“No, uhh I have to pee.” 

Jacob ran into the bathroom, unaware that the cashier had gotten quite the view of his ‘extra limb.’

“Shit,” he mumbled as he quickly came in the gas station bathroom. Definitely not his proudest moment. 

“After an interesting ride home, they rushed through the Barber doors and raced straight to his room. Slushies in one hand, bags of thrifted goods in the other. 

“Jake? Is that you?” his dad called from the living room. 

“Uh, yeah dad. I have a friend with me,” Jacob called back quickly.

“Oh yeah?” his dad said earnestly as he climbed the stairs to his son’s room. He walked in on them decorating his room with some new items, laying out a tie dye rug on the floor. 

“Stanley Barber sir, pleasure to meet you,” Stanley offered him a handshake, which he took. Jacob’s dad had a very firm grip, but a friendly smile on his face. 

“Barber? That’s funny cause-” 

“Yep he knows we’re Barber’s too dad.” Jacob interjected. 

“Oh. Well carry on then, you’re welcome to stay for dinner, Stanley.” 

“That would be great!” 

They ate Chinese food that Laurie picked up on the way home. Their kitchen still wasn’t completely unpacked, so they ate very minimal most of the time. She was glad that Jacob had met a new friend so fast, but also worried that the situation might escalate again. You never knew with Jacob, one minute he was completely fine and the next a boy was dead in the park. A mother’s love only extended so much. 

“How was the job interview?” Andy asked his wife, sparking up a conversation for the eerily silent group. Stan was good at talking, but not when his mouth was full of Chinese food. 

“It went well. I think I got the job,” she said blandly. 

“That’s great.” 

After a few minutes Stan announced he had to go, and thanked the Barber’s for the meal. They insisted that he was welcome over anytime, and Stan went off to go meet Syd. 

He calmly walked out the door, not wanting to look like he was rushed. The moon shone down from the cloudless sky and Stan was content when he walked into his room. He was a little surprised though to see Syd waiting for him on his floor. 

“Oh hey Syd-” 

“Stanley Barber you need to listen to me right now.” She said angrily. 

Stan was alarmed but managed out a “what?” 

“It’s your friend, Jacob!” She practically yelled at him. 

“What? Why won’t you just tell me about homecoming. Syd you killed someone.” He emphasized the word ‘kill’ and Syd rolled her eyes. 

“That can wait,” she said quickly, “and keep your fucking voice down.” 

“What do you mean that can wait? I thought that's what you came here to tell me!” Stan was getting frustrated, completely disregarding the comment about Jacob. 

“Stan, listen to me, is your new friend’s name Jacob Barber?” she asked a little more calmly. 

“Uhh yeah, how’d you know that?” he asked curiously. 

“Because he’s a fucking murderer! I saw it on the news like two years ago, it was big shit! This little town doesn’t know shit about anywhere but I didn’t always live here. I only remembered later when I saw his dad was on the Brad case. Put two and two together. Stan this is really fucking bad, they got a top lawyer on this case. Your new friend's dad, did you hear me? Are you even fucking listening to me?” she was talking a mile a minute, and Stan hardly processed any of it. 

“What? You’re telling me Jacob Barber is a killer?” 

“Well, he was proven innocent. I had the decency to look it up again. You really should too, he’s not telling you everything, Stan. He’s shady and dangerous.” 

“You mean like you?” Stan fired back. 

“Are you serious right now? You think I fucking wanted to kill Brad? You think I meant to?” She was yelling again, and objects in Stan’s room began to float. “If I wanted him fucking dead I wouldn’t do it all over the goddamned floor!” 

“Ok, ok, I believe you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Syd has no chill whatsoever :((( Whoops 
> 
> comments people! They make me big happy!! :)))


	4. Wow, How Ironic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stan and Syd's fight, plus Andy and Laurie's encounter with Syd's mom!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what is up homies   
> school ended today which means it's prime fanfic writin' time! get ready fools

“Stan, I’m sorry but you’re just going to have to accept it.” Syd said after they’d bickered on and on for a few more minutes. 

“I’m sorry, you just want me to accept that the boy I’m crushing on is a murderer?!” Stanley practically spat at his friend. “I mean what the fuck am I supposed to do with that information?”

“I dunno, but I think the first step is to stop seeing him.” Syd said plainly. 

“But he was proven innocent!” Stan argued back. 

“I know, but it was shady, trust me. I really think he did it.” 

“And so what then, you killed a guy too! Now I have two killer friends and no morals,” Stan sighed as he ran his hands through his hair. 

“C’mon Stan, you know it’s not anywhere near the same,” Syd admitted, but it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself. 

“Well,” Stan tried his best to change the topic. “Tell me about the ‘clothes for Liam,’ what was that all about?” 

“They- they were for my dad. Not Liam,” Syd said slowly. 

“Syd, your dad is dead-” 

“No, he’s not. I know everyone thinks he is but I’ve seen him! He was the one following me all that time! He saw me at the tower, after everything that went down. He told me about my powers and his and everything Stan, he told me everything?” Syd said with ease. 

“I don’t understand,” Stan muttered. 

“He helped me, Stan. I think I finally have a hold on who I am! He’s still teaching me tricks for the powers, and I’ve gotten pretty ok at controlling them, but it hasn’t been that long. I need time. He’s sort of like a ghost, there but not really. Comes and goes on very short notice. He’s basically a ghost now. But it’s fine, we make do. Mom hasn’t really noticed that I’ve been missing, not that I’m aware of. He needed the clothes to feel at peace, a shred of normalcy in this fucking psycho situation. You probably think I’m crazy, but that’s whatever. I can deal with crazy.” 

“I don’t know what to say.” 

“You don’t have to say anything, you just have to listen. Dina hasn’t talked to me since this whole shitshow started. Stan, I need you to find her, ok? Tell her I’m alright. She needs to know, ok? Please?”

“Yeah,” he nodded in agreement, “ok yeah I’ll meet her tomorrow.” 

“Thank you,” she said suddenly. 

“Yeah, no problem.” 

“So, Mrs. Novak, how long has your daughter been missing?” Andy Barber asked as nicely as he could. 

“Maybe two or three days. At first I didn’t notice because she sneaks around all the time, but she hasn’t come back yet. I’m not a horrible mom, trust me. Teenagers are just so much to deal with,” she tried to keep her composure but she was quickly getting more and more nervous. 

“It’s ok ma’am. I have to ask, did you go to the police with this information yet?” 

“Yes, but they're so wrapped up in the Lewis case they have no time for a missing child. It’s ridiculous, there’s only two freaking cops in this whole town.” 

“Sadly it’s rather common for small towns to have smaller police forces, but that’s ok. Now I’m not a private investigator, in fact I’m a criminal defense attorney, but I think I can help you with this if the police won’t.” Andy said calmly. 

“Really? Thank you so much! Me and my son have been so worried and I haven’t even started putting up missing posters!” 

“I don’t think it’ll come to that, honestly. Usually in small towns like these missing persons are runaways. Is there any reason your daughter would’ve run away?” Andy leaned closer expectantly. 

“Oh… well our home life isn’t exactly ‘ideal.’ You see Sydney’s dad recently passed away, by suicide, and she sort of blamed me for it. I guess it’s her way of coping but it really drove a wall between us. We argue a lot, not only about that but about chores and such too. I never thought she would run away though.”

“I see,” Andy began scribbling notes down on a notepad. “And I’m so sorry for your loss,” He added afterwards. 

“I just hope she’s alright,” Maggie Novak said with a sigh. She’d begun crying and she tried her best to hide it. 

“Anything else I should know?” Andy asked unexpectedly. 

“Well, now that you ask, she did have a pretty rough night at homecoming. The kid Brad who’d been apparently bullying her died. I’m sure you’ve heard about it. The school called me because apparently he’d read her diary to everyone before he died. I don’t really know the fine details.” 

Andy jotted down “Sydney Novak possible suspect,” before continuing his conversation with Maggie. 

“I see, that’s definitely gotta be hard to deal with.” 

“Oh you wouldn't believe it, the Lewis’ even went as far as to say she did it. Absolutely insane, having your kid get accused of murder.” 

“I’d imagine.” Andy said in agreement. Of course Maggie had no idea Jacob had experienced a much worse scenario. 

Laurie entered the kitchen, only to find a strange woman crying as her husband scribbled notes. “Uh hi, I’m Laurie, Andy’s husband.” 

“Hi, I’m Maggie. I was just talking to Andy about my daughter’s disappearance.” 

Laurie’s heart dropped instantly. “Oh i’m so sorry to hear that. If you need anything we’re just around the corner. We actually just moved in a few days ago.” She butchered her sentence but Maggie managed to follow along. 

“Thank you so much, I’ll just be on my way then.” She said as she stood up from the table. 

“Oh, well you’re welcome to stay for dinner if you’d like. Andy heard about a diner nearby that’s supposedly delicious. Any reviews?” 

“Oh yeah, it’s great. I actually work there so I guess I try the food quite often.” Maggie added, noticeably uncomfortable. 

Andy stood by awkwardly. “Well you’re welcome to join us if you need a hand or just some new faces.” Laurie said finally. 

“That actually sounds pretty nice. I’ll tell you what, let me swing by my house to pick up my son Liam and I’ll meet you there.” 

“Sounds great!” 

As the two Barbers drove to the nearby diner Laurie felt herself grow more and more excited. It had been a long long time since she’d made a friend, and Maggie Novak seemed like the perfect candidate. She had a history which meant she wouldn’t be so shallow and naive to their situation with jacob. It was like the stars had aligned. 

When they arrived at the diner, Maggie and Laurie instantly hit it off. Andy made awkward conversation with young Liam as the two mom’s instantly bonded over their mischievous kids. 

“She’s just so much to handle!” Maggie complained. 

“Mom!” Liam blurted out. 

“Jacob is just the same. He lies all the time and I just don’t know when I should believe him at this point.” 

“Laurie!” Andy followed in Liam’s pursuit. 

“Oh I know what that feels like. Sydney not only flat out lies but she also keeps secrets. I feel like I don’t even know her.” Maggie admitted. 

Laurie felt instantly better about her situation with her own son. “I feel the same. It’s like Jacob isn’t the kid I raised anymore, sometimes I feel like I live with a stranger.” 

Andy sighed as he quietly ate his burger. He didn’t want to ruin this for Laurie, but he was getting annoyed at her comments. 

Afterwards the two exchanged numbers, and planned on meeting up soon for some scrap booking. Laurie felt accomplished as the two drove home. 

“Why would you say those things about Jacob, to a complete stranger?” asked Andy. 

“Please Andy, I don’t want to have this conversation right now.” 

“Laurie, I know you two have problems now but I think you need to let it go and resolve it. We know Jacob is innocent, and that’s all that matters.” 

“Is he? Is he really?” she said quietly. 

“Yes, Laurie. For Christ’s sake.” 

“Andy we all heard that story he wrote. It was proven that he wrote it! It was disgusting, and downright cruel. Why the hell would he write that if it didn’t happen?” She said more loudly. 

“It was just a story. We just have to trust him.” 

“Well I don’t know if I can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact this was originally like 7 pages so I had to split it up which means next chap is coming tomorrow!!! Also fun fact the next chapter is hella interesting compared to this garbage <3


	5. Situational Awareness :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy Barber discovers something he wishes he hadn't 
> 
> also enter Dina!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning!!! violence!!! eh you've seen the source material lmao 
> 
> This shit got a 97 on grammarly so you know it's gonna be good!!!

Stan had spent the day at Dina’s house, explaining his entire situation to the confused friend. Dina’s heart fluttered at the mention of Syd, but not when she realized the girl she liked- her best friend- killed her boyfriend. Stan told her about her dad and about the new kid. Dina remembered Jacob Barber from the news as well.

“Holy shit. Just holy shit.” 

“I know it’s a lot to process-” 

“So that time at the library, she’d just knocked down all the books with her mind?” Dina’s mouth hung open. 

“Uhh yeah actually. I’m surprised that’s what you’re worried about.” 

“And your car? She knocked down a tree and that’s how it got busted?” 

“Yep-” 

“And she’s been hiding out in the water tower? With her dead ghost dad? He’s a ghost?? What??” 

“Yeah… I know that part’s a little weird.” 

“Oh my god. I can’t believe it was her who killed Brad.” Dina’s initial shock wore off by then, and the reality of the situation hit her like a truck. 

“I know, but she didn’t mean to.” 

“I know that- it’s just crazy.” Dina sat down on her bed and began talking again. “And the whole thing with this kid Jacob, I dunno if I would trust him.” 

“I think he at least deserves a chance,” Stan found himself saying. 

“If you say so, but don’t say I didn’t warn you if you’re found dead in a ditch.” 

“Dina!” 

“Sorry,” she laughed a little. “It’s the humor coping mechanism thing.” 

Andy knocked on Jacob’s door, where he’d been all day. 

“Jake? We got dinner for you if you wanna come eat downstairs.” 

“Ok Dad, I’ll be down in a second.” Jacob ran down the steps to eat, leaving his dad upstairs at his bedroom door. 

Andy was struck with an idea, compelled by Laurie’s previous argument. “I’ll be down later, I’m going to shower.” 

“Ok dad,” Jacob shouted back. 

Andy slowly walked into his son’s room, intrigued by the strange Goodwill decorations. He quickly found an abandoned notebook that Jacob must’ve discarded when he went for dinner. Andy sat on his bed and began reading. 

“Jason climbed out of his bedroom window, eager to meet the new neighbor that called to him from across the dark street. His trusty friend is ever-present in his pocket, waiting to be used again. The pretty boy would never see it coming. 

He met him at his driveway, across the street from his own. Shawn, the mysterious new neighbor, was smoking pot on his driveway. Jason approached him, his hand now clutching the knife that laid obediently in his pocket. 

‘Who are you?’ Shawn asked nervously. His heart was already pounding at the sight of Jason. 

‘I’m Jason, your new neighbor. But you can call me Jay.’ he looked the pretty boy up and down, admiring his features in the moonlight. His curly hair was disheveled on his sharp face, almost sharper than the knife in his pocket. His clothes were odd, and Jason found himself imagining them discarded on the ground. He knew the pretty boy’s chest would be smooth, and he imagined how easily his weapon would glide through his chest, like butter in the afternoon son. 

‘Well Jay, I think you should get going. You don’t want your parents to know you’ve been sneaking out,’ Shawn said slowly. Jason watched the way his pink lips formed the words. Soon they would be glazed with blood. 

‘I don’t think so.’ Jason said with a grin. He suddenly grasped the knife he’d been toying with and jabbed it into Shawn’s chest. Shawn gasped in shock as blood began pooling beneath him. Soon his trusty friend was out and he was stabbing him again, this time in the neck. Jason was still holding the knife, plunged into Shawn’s neck when he leaned in and kissed him. Blood and weed were fresh on his lips, and he deepened the kiss. 

He leaned back and Shawn’s body fell to the ground. Blood began pooling around him, so Jason said his final goodbye before heading back home.” 

“Holy shit,” Andy muttered as he put the notebook back where he’d found it. He ran to his bathroom and quickly turned on the shower, pondering what he’d just read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Andy reading the story: umm chile? Anyways


	6. Hol' up-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A slightly alarming visit Jacob has with Stanley 
> 
> aka giving head so WARNING if you don't want to read that???

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm updating a few hours after my last update because I love you all dearly

Andy walked back downstairs after his “shower,” still processing what he’d just read. There was no denying it, Shawn was supposed to be Stanley Barber, their new fucking neighbor. He knew he couldn’t tell Laurie, because she might ‘crash the car’ again. There was no way to protect Jacob from what he’d become. Then again, did Jacob need protection, or did his poor new friend? 

“Hey dad, wanna play monopoly with me and mom?” Jacob asked innocently. 

“Sure!” his voice was a little high, so he made a mental note to relax. It’s not like Jacob actually hurt this kid, well not yet. As he’d said before, it was just a story. At least now he knew for sure that his son was gay, maybe finding out the worst way possible. 

After a four-hour-long game, the two Barber parents called it quits, hopping into bed at a whopping 1:30 am. Jacob took this as the perfect opportunity to dip, climbing out the living room window instead of his bedroom. He raced across the street to Stan’s house, knocking three times on his bedroom window. Stan lived in the basement, so his window was ground level. 

Stan opened the window and let Jacob inside, excited to see the boy he liked. He wanted to ask him about the trial, but that would have to come later. 

“Hey!” Jacob said finally. 

“What’s up man, it’s like two in the morning,” Stan said with a laugh. 

“Just wanted to stop by I guess, I can’t really blast Bloodwitch from my room with my parents sleeping in there and all.” 

“Any occasion to hear Bloodwitch is worthwhile,” Stan said wisely as he started the vinyl. He had Bloodwitch’s only album on cassette, vinyl, and Spotify. He was slightly obsessed. 

“So Jacob, we never really shared any good secrets before. Like bacne is one, but there’s like a whole underwater iceberg of secrets below that,” Stan started. 

“Oh yeah?” Jacob continued. 

“So ask me anything. It’s two am and I’m ready to gossip,” Stan finished with a signature Stan smile. 

“Alright, Stanley Barber. What’s your body count?” Jacob asked with genuine curiosity. 

Stan laughed lightly, slightly caught off guard by the question. “One formally, but I did once give a guy head in an alleyway so technically two.” 

“What? Really?” Jacob responded, slightly shocked. At least that confirmed Stan was bi? 

“Naw I’m just messin’ with you. But yeah, one. It was Syd by the way.” 

“Oh,” Jacob said dumbly. (or maybe not). 

“So how about you? One cannot just ask such things without answering the said question as well.” 

“I just had an aneurysm trying to comprehend that sentence.” Jacob laughed. 

“That’s delightful, but you still have to answer me,” Stan replied lightly. 

“Fine, I don’t have one.” (unless you count Ben Rifkin, but that’s a different sort of ‘body count’). 

“Oh really? Little virgin Barber? I find it hard to believe!” Stan was laughing now, much to Jacob’s dismay. 

“Oh there’s nothing ‘little’ about it,” Jacob said slyly. 

Stan felt a brush creep it’s way across his face, and he was sure Jacob could tell. “Well I think that’s up to interpretation,” he tried his best to flirt back. 

Jacob quickly changed the topic before things escalated, because he could not deal with that again. “So head in an alleyway, is that like a fantasy of yours?” 

“Woah there Barber. If I were you I’d calm down before you need to take your viagra,” he tried to joke back, but he was kind of horny now. Goddamn. 

“That’s the best you got- viagra jokes?” Jacob’s voice was lower now, and he walked closer to Stan, who was still blushing. 

“Goddamn it Jake,” Stanley said with a sigh. 

Jacob felt himself getting hard, but he kind of thought the same was happening to Stan. So, he decided to press onward. “What’s wrong Stanley, cat got your tongue?” 

“Oh fuck,” Stan whispered as he too moved closer to Jacob. He cupped his face in his hands, pressing a soft kiss to his slightly chapped lips. 

Jacob deepened the kiss, resting his own hands on Stan’s waist, pulling him closer to him. They continued kissing until Stan pulled away, breathing heavily. “Holy shit,” he muttered. 

“Holy shit Stanley,” Jacob responded. 

“So what was that?” Stan asked a few minutes later. 

“I- I think I like you, Stan. Like a lot,” Jacob had such a way with words. 

“I think I like you too, Jake. A lot.” Stanley returned with a smile. 

They kissed again, this time grinding a little bit until Jacob pushed Stan against the wall. 

“Fuck,” Stan moaned as Jacob continued to grind against him. 

“Stan, do you wanna?” Jacob started to say between kisses. He’d already left a hickey on Stan’s neck, which went surprisingly well since it was his first time properly making out with someone. What he and Derek did was always limited to how much the other felt comfortable with. Stan was down for practically anything. 

“Use your words, Jake,” Stan practically demanded, breathing deeply and heavily beneath him. 

“Stan, can you suck me off?” It was definitely a leap, but Jacob felt too hot to keep his pants on anymore. 

“Fuck- fuck yes. Take off your pants.” Jacob obliged, unzipping his jeans and discarding them on the floor with his converse. Stan dropped to his knees, eager to get on with it. He pulled down Jacob’s boxers, pleasantly surprised at the sight. Jacob wasn’t lying earlier, it definitely was not little. 

One hour later they laid side by side in Stan’s bed, once again sharing secrets. Jacob was now wearing a pair of Stan’s boxers, along with one of his green hoodies. 

“So how long have you known?” Stanley asked, but he was kind of drifting off to sleep. 

“How long have I known what?” Jacob responded. 

“How long have you known that you’re gay?” Stanley finally spoke clearly, now wide awake. 

“Oh, well I guess I’ve always known. I never liked girls all too much so it was kinda easy to accept it. My parents don’t know, though.” Jacob said calmly. 

“Oh. Have you ever dated anyone?”

“Yeah, once. I had a boyfriend in my hometown before things uh- went to shit. His name was Derek. We dated for a few months and it was kinda great.” Jacob said with a faint smile. 

“Doesn’t sound that great since you guys are clearly not dating anymore,” Stan said defensively. 

“Well- yeah. I was like 14 or 15 at the time so the concept of dating was really new to me. We would play video games together and sometimes we’d jerk each other off, but we never really had sex. He always wanted to write porn with me, but only ever from my laptop. I always thought we’d get caught, and we did.” Jacob was clearly avoiding the subject of the trial, so Stan decided to press more on it. 

“Wow, I never pictured you as an author. Kinda frisky for a 14-year-old but I’m not one to judge.” 

“Yeah, it was kind of weird looking back on it. It all changed though, one day. Well, I dunno if you know this but in my hometown, there was a kid found dead in the park. I got blamed for it, there was a trial and everything. Derek kinda sold me out, he even told the fucking prosecution about the shit we’d write. They used it against us and I really thought I’d lose the trial but then some pedophile offed himself and said he did it- and it was all ok again.” Jacob was struggling to say everything, but he was surprisingly coming clean. 

“Jake, I know about the trial,” Stan practically whispered. Jacob was laying next to him, cuddled against his side- listening to his breathing. 

“Y-you do?” He asked worriedly. 

“Yeah. Syd told me about it like yesterday or so. Honestly don’t worry about it, weirder shit has happened in this town anyway.” Stan tried to comfort the scared boy next to him. 

“Stanley?” 

“Yes, bro?” He cracked a smile at this. 

“Please don’t leave me… please.” 

“I could never,” Stan replied earnestly, leaning in and kissing Jacob on the forehead. Jacob drifted off to sleep, forgetting about his parents and Sydney Novak and all his problems. Right now all that mattered was Stan, and being in his arms. But- he couldn’t shake the feeling, no- the wanting to hurt Stan. The boy was cuddling him, playing with his hair and all he could do was imagine him hurt, clutching his side where an imaginary knife had entered.

‘What the fuck is wrong with me?’ was his last thought before drifting off for good, clutching Stan’s hand for dear life as his persistent intrusive thoughts left him for the night. 

At least he could never reveal all his secrets to Stan, not while he was fast asleep. He could never know about Derek, the truth that is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh oh I smell very obvious foreshadowing 
> 
> I'm sorry for the cringe viagra jokes I'm aware it isn't funny :(((


	7. Sydney Novak the Felon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy finds out that Jacob snuck out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Andy is sort of a questionable parent but that's fine I guess

“Uhh Laurie, where is our son?” Andy asked worriedly. He’d gone to wake up Jacob for breakfast, only to find his bed empty. Slowly he remembered the story and became fearful of what Jacob could’ve done now. 

“What?” Laurie called from their bedroom, where she was still half asleep. 

“Nevermind,” he answered. He knew Laurie was capable of hurting Jacob, it was prevalent after their ‘car crash.’ Jacob had been in a coma while Laurie prayed for him not to wake up. 

Andy called Jacob’s cell, and he didn’t pick up. It was on the fifth call that he finally answered.

“Jacob, where are you?” Andy said sternly. 

“Umm, I’m at Stan’s,” he mumbled back sleepily. 

“Well, come back dammit. Your mom is gonna flip if she finds out you snuck out.” 

“I didn't sneak out, I just went over there this morning. We’re uh playing Uno,” he lied through his teeth. 

“First of all, it’s 7 am, which is ridiculously early for Uno. Second of all, Uno isn’t a two-player game.” Andy was calmer now, significantly less worried about Stanley’s life. A few years ago if Jacob would’ve snuck out for a sleepover he wouldn’t have cared. But things are different now, and their trust isn’t what it used to be. 

“I’m sorry dad, I’ll head home now,” Jacob said before hanging up. He tried to nudge Stan awake, but he was deep asleep, still cuddling with him. “Stan,” he said gently, trying to wake him up. “Stan I have to leave, I forgot to go home last night.”

“Mmm,” Stan started, “goodbye then. See ya later.” 

“Bye Stan,” Jacob responded as he quickly climbed out of bed. When he was finally back in his room he was greeted by his dad, who stood patiently in his doorway. 

“Breakfast is ready,” he said quickly. “And uh, you might wanna put your own clothes back on.” 

Jacob looked down in panic and realized he was still wearing Stan’s shirt and boxers. Luckily in his wake, he’d had enough sense to put his pants back on. “Thanks,” he said dumbly. 

Andy left and Jacob quickly changed out of Stan’s clothes, tossing them in his hamper. 

He ran downstairs to see his dad cooking pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes to be exact. His mom was still upstairs in bed he assumed, grateful that his dad had been the one to catch him and not her. Laurie probably would’ve killed him- not metaphorically speaking. 

“So what’s the news with this Brad Lewis thing?” Jacob asked as he stuffed his face full of pancakes. 

Laurie made her way downstairs and sat down across from Jacob at the table. 

“Well I do have one suspect,” Andy said happily. 

“Oh yeah? And who might that be?” Jacob replied. 

“Well, I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but it’s a girl in your grade.” 

Laurie entered the conversation, “You better not be talking about-” 

“Yup,” Andy interjected. “Sydney Novak.” 

Jacob almost spit out his orange juice. “Syd? I know her.” 

“You do?” Andy asked in shock. “Sydney has been reported missing- how do you know her?” Andy’s mind once again became flooded with possibilities that Jacob had killed yet another kid. Oh, God. 

“Yeah, Stan and I saw her at the Goodwill the other day. She said she was buying clothes for her brother,” Jacob answered honestly. 

“Well, I’ll be damned. I’ll go with Maggie today and check the security footage, this is great news, Jake!” 

Laurie rolled her eyes as she ate. “And what exactly does this have to do with Brad Lewis?”

“Well, Brad bullied Sydney and was publicly humiliating her when he died. Now it’s kind of a stretch but she’s our only suspect right now, and her disappearance actually makes her look even more guilty.” Andy explained. 

Jacob thought for a moment about what Syd’s involvement in this case meant. She could easily be jailed, especially since this case was far weirder than his own. The town could go all Salam Witch trials on her if they didn’t find anybody else responsible. This meant he could have Stan all to himself. 

“That’s crazy, dad. I’ll ask Stan about her today if you want.” 

Andy looked at him in disbelief. “Yeah right, there’s no way you’re going over there-” 

“Why not? This is the first time in a while that Jacob’s made an actual friend. I say he can go over there whenever he wants if it makes the moving transition easier.” Laurie interjected. 

“Uh, I guess your mom’s right. It would be good to get some insight into Syd anyways. Good work, kid.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so that was sort of a filler chap but now you know Syd is officially a suspect! Oh yeh 
> 
> also plz comment if you want to! :))


	8. It's a Little Concerning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SYDINA!!! but also Andy doing his job!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys!!! This just took me almost three hours to write, but that's fine. (It's probably bc I'm dumb and sleep deprived)  
> I'm actually v happy with how this turned out!! Enjoy some Syd/ Dina!! <33

Dina stood at the bottom of the old water tower, peering upwards as the clouds slowly made their way over. The sunlight was momentarily blocked by the cloudy weather, sending a chill up her spine. She took a deep breath, and it stung her lungs. Heights were never her thing, and the thought of climbing up the old rusty ladder made her nervous. She slowly made her way up the ladder. 

“Syd- let me in,” Dina called from beneath the entrance of the water tower. She was stopped at the top of the ladder, freezing cold as the autumn air swept by. The trapdoor was latched shut with a lock. 

“Who’s there?” the familiar voice of her best friend answered. 

“It’s Dina! Now let me up there before I fall off this freaking ladder!” 

Syd slowly undid the lock, with her mind. It was a dangerous game because she could easily lock herself up there if she was unable to undo the lock. Yet it rattled for a second and opened, allowing Dina to make her way through the entrance. 

“So,” Dina started. 

“So,” Syd continued. 

“So Stan told me everything- and I mean everything. I- I’m so sorry Syd.” Dina leaned in and gave Syd a tight hug, making her heart flutter a bit. 

“No, I should be the one that’s sorry. I killed your fucking boyfriend for crying out loud.” Syd said nervously. 

“Hey, you didn’t mean to. And he wasn’t my boyfriend, he was my ex-boyfriend. Big difference.” Dina tried her best to comfort her. 

“Yeah, I guess screwing Jenny wasn’t the best idea on his part. It definitely wasn’t worth losing you over,” Syd said after a brief silence. 

“Oh, you think I’m someone worth holding onto now- after hiding from me for a week?” Dina teased. 

“That was completely unrelated,” Syd fired back. “Besides, at least up here, I’m away from his grieving family.” 

“Yeah,” Dina said softly. “So, what’s so cool up here anyway?” 

“Well, uhh, I got a bed and uhh some food up here. I mostly spend my time reading and cursing the world.” Syd tried to joke, but it fell flat. 

“Umm, your bed is two blankets, Syd. Have you even gone home at all? Your mom must be worried sick.” Dina said anxiously. 

“Well, I did go back and shower one day when she was at work. I guess Liam was at a friend's house. Not sure. That’s where I got my blankets from.” 

“Gottcha. Well, if you need anything, you’re welcome to crash at my place. We have actual heat there,” Dina joked. 

“Oh, you don’t like it up here in the mountains? What a surprise!” 

“Oh shut up,” Dina answered sarcastically. “Well why don’t we go back to my place, I brought my mom’s car to drive up here, we can pick up some doughnuts on the way back of something. How bout Dunkin?” 

“Yeah, I guess so. Maybe I should talk to my mom,” Syd finally agreed. 

“Yeah, you don’t want her going to the police or some shit.” 

“Mr. Barber, any updates with finding Sydney?” Maggie Novak said anxiously through the phone. She twirled the cord in her hands as she spoke, distracting herself from the reality of her situation. 

“Uh yes actually, it was confirmed that she actually went to the Goodwill a few days ago. Do you know any reason she would’ve done that?” Andy asked curiously. He was in the car, talking with his Bluetooth as he made his way to the police station. There might be hardly any cops there but it was worth a try. He wanted them to reopen the Brad Lewis case, from where it had previously been ruled a suicide. 

“I just hope you find her soon, it’s hard trying to explain to Liam where his big sister is when I don’t even know,” Maggie stammered. 

“I know, Maggie, but we’ll figure this out,” Andy said sympathetically. He did truly feel bad for her. “Listen, I’m on my way to the station now, I’m gonna try to get them to help with this, ok?” Andy only felt a little bit guilty for lying to her, because in actuality he was going to suggest that Syd could be a suspect. He was 90% sure she hadn’t even been interviewed as a witness yet. 

“Thank you, Andy,” Maggie said sincerely. 

“No problem, you hang tight there, ok?” 

Andy pulled into the parking lot to find a screaming match with what looked like two parents and one officer. 

“You’re doing nothing! Our son is dead and you’re doing nothing!” a woman hollered hysterically as tears streamed down her face. 

“Ma’am- the case is closed right now. I’m sorry but you need to move on. We might even reopen schools a week early-” obviously this young officer was no public speaker. 

“Are you kidding me? You want more kids to be brutally slaughtered? Open your eyes- not the schools!” her husband shouted. 

“I understand you two are upset but I must assure you we’ve done everything we could-” 

“Not quite everything,” Andy announced as he made his way over to the scene. “Here,” he said as he offered Mrs. Lewis his handkerchief. “I’d like to introduce myself, I’m Andrew Barber. I’m a criminal defense attorney and I’ve taken a special interest in this case. You two are the Lewis’, correct?” he said slyly as the cop watched in shock. 

“Uhh, yes.” Mr. Lewis replied. 

“Well that’s wonderful, I was actually just stopping in to ask these dear officers to reopen your son’s case when I saw what was going on. I’m so sorry for your loss,” he said carefully as he made his way to the door. “So, why don’t we all come back inside and you three can hear what I have to say,” it was a gamble, but a well-calculated one. 

The officer shrugged and the four made their way to the front lobby, sitting around a table as Andy pulled out a file. 

“So, I know you guys interviewed almost every kid at that homecoming dance, except one- which is what I came here to talk about today. Sydney Novak, the missing piece of the puzzle.” The Lewis’ glanced at each other in confusion. 

“I have reason to believe that she could be a suspect, or at least a damn good witness. She was right there when it happened and get this- she disappeared instantly afterward.” 

“Yeah, her mom keeps coming in to file missing person reports,” the officer added.

“Yes, I’ve spoken with her mom and it’s clear that Sydney played a much bigger role in this. First, we see she had a history of bullying with Brad. From what I’ve heard he was reading her diary the night of the attack.” Andy pulled his scrap paper from his file, which detailed everything Maggie had said. “I have this on audio as well,” he added for good measure. 

“Good God,” Mrs. Lewis muttered. 

“I think this case is not as cut and dry as you think, and that it should be reopened immediately. I also would like to join the case, and work alongside you two if you’d have me.” Andy turned to face the Lewis’, who nodded in agreement. 

“Thank you- thank you so much.” Mrs. Lewis began. 

“Nobody has taken us seriously since this whole thing started,” Mr. Lewis continued. 

“I understand, I just want justice for you and your family,” Andy answered. 

“Well- this is highly unusual but I’ll allow it. Just- be wary, ok? This town is a nightmare. The mayor is pressuring us to reopen schools since this case has ended,” the officer started to say. 

“I can see where he’s coming from, and quite frankly I think opening the schools is just as well. If I’m right about Sydney Novak, I doubt she’ll come to school anyways.” 

“Well, I’ll get back to the mayor, then. We’ll get you the information we have on the case, get you in the system too. You’re new to the area?” 

“Yes, I moved in this week but I’ve been following this case since I saw it on the news. It’s a very unique case.” 

“Yes, yes indeed.” 

Syd and Dina pulled up to the local Dunkin Donuts, greeted with a drug deal in the parking lot, and a young girl throwing up outside the entrance. 

“What a Brownsville welcome,” Syd said sarcastically as they made their way inside. They walked up to the cashier only to be greeted by Ricky Berry- Brad’s former best friend and partner in crime. He’d never told the cops about the party he hosted, or about how he’d been drinking with Brad before his untimely death. Some things were better-kept secret. 

“Well, would you look who it is,” Ricky said smugly. “Lesbo one and lesbo two; what can I get for you two today?” 

“How about your fucking manager,” Syd said angrily. 

“Woah, no need to go all Karen on me,” he said dumbly. Dina rolled her eyes. 

“Whatever dickface, just let us order. The customer is always right.” Syd said a little more calmly. When they finally went to pay, Ricky lowered his voice and said, “Listen, I know you had something to do with his death, and I’m gonna figure it out.” 

“Leave us alone, asshole,” Dina said before pulling on Syd’s hand to lead her away. “Let’s get out of here.” 

They got their dozen donuts before hurriedly leaving the restaurant. Syd wasn’t sure if Ricky knew she did it, or if he’d read her diary with Stan. 

‘Fuck- does Stan have my diary?’ She thought as they made their way to the car.

“That was crazy,” Dina whispered as she began eating a strawberry donut. 

“Yeahh, a little too crazy for my liking,” Syd responded. 

“So- it’s been a while and I gave you your time but I have to ask you something,” Dina said nervously. Syd felt her heart rate increase in fear because starting a conversation like that was never good. 

“Yeah?” she asked dumbly. 

“Well, I know what Brad said about your diary and all, and I guess I was just wondering if you did like me.” Dina looked away out the window, unable to face Syd. 

Fuck. “uhh,” I guess it was the spirit of full disclosure which made her speak her heart. “Uh yeah, I do like you,” Syd said slowly. “More than friends,” she added after a few seconds. 

“Oh, I just wanted to know before I told you I like you too- definitely way more than friends,” Dina turned to her once again. 

“Yeah?” Sydney asked, smiling for once in her life. 

“Yeah, so do you uh, wanna be my girlfriend or whatever?” Dina asked, hopeful now as she smiled at her best friend. 

“Yeah, I’d love too,” Syd responded. 

“Great! Then the first thing I’m gonna ask you to do, as your girlfriend, is go talk to your mom. Let her know you’re alive,” Dina said with an even bigger smile. 

Syd rolled her eyes. “Real classy Dina, but fine I guess. We can drive over there now.” 

“Oh, and one last thing,” Dina said softly, leaning in and kissing Syd gently. Her lips still tasted like strawberry icing. Dina pulled away from the kiss, smiling once again. Syd looked very surprised. 

“You have to tell me the next time weird shit starts happening in your life, ok?” 

Syd nodded profusely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kinda wacky


	9. Who's the Hottest Star Wars Character?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stan and Jacob are planning a party because what else would you do ??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!!!! I'm back!!!!   
> sorry this chapter took so long to write!! I re wrote it a few times because I didn't really like it, but I think it's pretty aight now :))) Also I finally planned out the rest of the story so new chapters should come regularly again. I love you all!!! <33333333

Jacob knocked three times on Stan’s window before sliding it open and crawling inside. His parents had agreed to let him come back over after breakfast, which was exactly what he did. 

“Stan?” he asked, glancing around the empty room. 

“I’m upstairs,” Stan yelled in response. 

Jacob slowly climbed the stairs, stopping once or twice to eye the lonely photos of Stan on the wall. One displayed what Jacob presumed to be his dad holding him as a baby, another showed him a few years older, missing his two front teeth in a not so toothy grin. 

“Whatcha lookin’ at?” Stan asked as he walked over, resting his arms on Jacob’s shoulder from a higher step. 

“Oh, uh,” Jacob started, slightly embarrassed. 

“Right,” Stan cut him off, “that’s me if you couldn’t tell.” 

“I figured,” Jacob said with a small laugh. He was getting better at showing his emotions, even in stupid situations like this. 

“That’s my dad,” Stan continued as he pointed to the man holding him. “Pretty sucky now but back then he was homecoming king,” he added. 

“Go figure,” Jacob responded, still staring at the photo. Stan’s dad looked nothing like him, surprisingly enough. 

“Let’s go eat something,” Stan said quickly, changing the topic while dragging Jacob up the rest of the stairs with the pull of his hand. 

“I had uh, chocolate chip pancakes,” Jacob said dumbly. 

“What? And you didn’t bring me any? Shame on you, Barber.” Stan said jokingly. 

When Stan told Syd about his dad it had been too much information, an act of oversharing that he still cringed about. He absolutely did not want Jacob to worry about his dad, especially now that they were dating. Wait- were they dating? 

“Hey Jake,” Stan said suddenly. 

“Yeah, bro?” He answered, smiling at his joke. 

“What did I tell you about the bro’s?” Stan said jokingly. Jacob smiled again, and Stan kept talking. “So uh, this is kinda random but are we dating? Like for sure? Boyfriends? Partners in crime?” Stan was blushing, but Jacob was smiling wider now. 

“Sure thing partner,” he said in the worst cowboy accent he could muster. 

Stan smiled too, then turned around and smiled even more. “Great, let’s make some food cause I’m still hungry.” 

They cooked together, making spaghetti, which was one of the only things they knew how to make. 

After a brief binge session of the Star Wars prequels, and the agreement that Anakin was the hottest in the galaxy, Stan was graced with a brilliant idea. 

“I should throw a party!” he said suddenly. 

“Oh?” was all Jacob could say. 

“Yeah! You can meet my friend Dina, and we can all hang out and stuff!”

“I mean if you want to-” 

“It’s a great idea! I’ll text them now,” Stan said excitedly, pulling his phone from his pockets. 

Jacob texted his dad, knowing he would be far more lenient than his mom. He agreed, so he told Stan the good news. 

“It’s a yes from me,” Jacob announced, holding his phone up in the air like a pistol in the sky. 

“Yes!” Stan gushed, rushing over to Jacob and planting a nice kiss on his cheek. Jacob smiled before kissing him back on the mouth this time. 

Dina had dropped Syd off at her house, giving her a promising smile before driving away. Syd rolled her eyes and walked up to her front door letting out a small sigh before knocking lightly. 

“Mom, someone’s at the door!” she heard Liam call from inside the house. It had been a while since she’d heard it. 

Liam swung the door open, gasping when he saw his older sister. “SYDNEY!!!” he yelled, embracing her in a tight hug. 

“Hey bud,” she replied, smiling at the attention. “Where’s mom?” 

“Oh, she’s not here,” he said plainly after pulling away from the hug. “I only yelled so if it was a bad guy they wouldn’t kidnap me, you know, since ‘my mom is here.’” Liam said proudly. 

“What?” Syd asked in response. “That makes no sense though. No one’s gonna kidnap you if they don’t know you’re there in the first place. You know, by not answering the door.” 

“True, but then I would be inside and you would still be out in the cold,” he said slyly. 

“Touche,” Syd answered before making her way inside. “I’m gonna grab a shower, ok? If mom comes back tell her I’m there.” 

“Ok but she’s at the diner, I think she said she’ll be home around 7.” 

Syd nodded before making her way to her bedroom. She picked up a change of clothes, taking in the sight of her lonely room before walking off to the bathroom. 

Liam picked the phone up off the wall, almost struggling to reach. He dialed his mom’s work number, which she had left on a note by the phone. She hadn’t been able to find a sitter on such short notice, especially one in this time of crisis. School had been out for a week already and Liam had spent almost all of it home alone. 

“Mom?” he asked when someone picked up. 

“Uhh hi sweetie, who do you need?” someone answered. 

“Umm Maggie Novak,” he said matter of factly. 

In a few moments, his mom was on the phone too. “What’s wrong, Liam? I told you to only call my work during emergencies...” 

“It’s Syd, she’s back!” Liam said excitedly. 

“Put her on the phone,” Maggie practically demanded, urgent to hear her daughter's voice again, to know she’s ok. 

“She’s in the shower,” Liam answered. 

Maggie pauses for a moment. “Liam, is your sister really there?” 

“Yes! Why would I lie about-”

“Sweetie, you don’t have to lie to get my attention. Look, I’m sorry I don’t get to spend more time with you but that’s just how it has to be right now.” She said in the nicest voice she could muster. 

“What? No mom she’s right in the shower-”

“I have to get back to work Liam. I’ll bring you some dinner home, ok?” And with that she hung up the phone, leaving her youngest child alone and angry. 

Syd got out of the shower, getting dressed before checking her phone to see that Stanley Barber had invited her to a party. Shit. 

“Hey bud,” she said gently as she waltzed into the kitchen where Liam was still sitting by the house phone. 

“Mom doesn’t believe me that you’re here,” he explained, still frustrated with the situation. 

“That’s pretty dumb,” Syd added, earning a dead glance from her brother. “Well,” she continued after a while, “I have to go. I hope you understand. I’ll be back soon though, ok? No more disappearing.” 

“What? You can’t leave! Mom will think I was lying for sure!” he pleaded. 

It was the guilt of killing Banana that compelled Syd to help out her brother just this once. “Fine, I’ll write her a note, ok?” 

Liam thought for a moment, then nodded. “Ok, but make it good,” he said finally. 

Dear mom,   
I’m not lost, ok? So stop looking for me. I’ll come back soon. There are just some things I have to do right now. Please understand. I love you guys. 

-Syd 

Sydney folded the note and placed it on the table, hugging Liam goodbye before leaving for Stan’s house. He only lived a little way down the street anyway. The sun was starting to go down and she was reminded of everything she’s lost, and the sacrifices she made. Deep down she did feel a little bad for leaving Liam behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes party


	10. Stan the Party Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A party! 
> 
> Aka Stan getting hit with the storm that is Jacob 
> 
> Tw drinking, assault and violence ??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello gamers, I’m finally back with another chapter!! Sorry this one took so long to write, I’ve been very busy lately and yeah skfjskf next chapter should come v soon <3

“The party’s here!” Dina shouted when her and Syd finally arrived. It didn’t take long for everyone to become acquainted, although Jacob was much more stressed than he appeared at a first glance. His therapist had called it social anxiety, and being inside all the time and having one on one schooling meant he didn’t really get out much. He knew Syd didn’t really like him, and Dina seemed ok, but it still made him pick at his thumbs in a fit of anxiousness. 

“Maybe we should do ice breakers or something; so you all get to know each other,” Stan suggested with a laugh. 

“Yeah, like that’s such a good party game,” Syd replied, rolling her eyes in Dina’s direction. 

“Oh shut up,” Stan said easily, “I’ll begin. My name’s Stanley, and my favorite animal is a jellyfish. Oh, and my favorite color is green, but that isn’t at all related to the fact that I smoke weed,” he finally finished, smiling at Jacob who was still destroying his cuticles. 

“Ok, so my name’s Dina and I guess my favorite color is light pink, cause hot pink is really ugly ya know? I think my favorite animal would be a panda,” she chimed in once Stanley had finished. 

Dina nodded over to Syd, who reluctantly participated. “Fine. I’m Syd, my favorite color is black and my favorite animal is a gorilla, rip Harambe.” 

“What a shocker,” Jacob joked, backing off when Syd shot him a glare. 

“You’re up sir Barber,” Stan nodded to Jacob once the tension had died down. 

“Ok, so I’m Jacob, my favorite color is blue and my favorite animal is a killer whale,” he said matter of factly.

“Killer whales huh, that must be pretty familiar to you, right?” Syd started, staring at Jacob with the twitch of an eye. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Stan questioned. Dina looked away, averting her eyes from the scene instead to a nearby window. 

“Well,” Syd started, carefully choosing her next words, “you must be pretty familiar with them, given the title; killer. You know all about being a killer, right? Since you killed somebody,” Dina quickly looked over to her in shock. 

“What are you talking about?” Jacob asked softly, putting on a false smile but picking at his nails again. 

“Well you did go on trial for murder, right?” Syd asked. The air was tight, and Jacob found it hard to breathe. 

“Quit it Syd, you’re hardly one to talk,” Stan started. 

“What?” asked Jacob. What did Stan mean? It made sense then that Syd had to have some involvement with Brad’s death, and he was sure to tell his dad as soon as he got home. 

“Um guys, there’s a party at Ricky’s if you wanna go,” Dina interrupted, breaking the tension. “I mean, we can crash here afterwards, I can drive if you guys wanna drink there.” 

“Sounds great, we should go now,” Stan said quickly, thanking Dina on the way out the door. 

They all climbed into Dina’s car, not really speaking to each other. Stan sat next to Jacob in the back seat, holding his hand and rubbing circles onto his knuckles. They hadn’t been dating for long, hell they hadn’t even known each other that long, but they still seemed to have a connection not even Sydney could break. If only Stan had known the blood that has spilled onto those knuckles only years ago. Maybe he would’ve known to keep his distance from his troubled boyfriend. 

They parked next to the big house on the street, and Jacob took in the sight. Every light in the house was on, and people were standing around outside. Two people were making out by the door, and another girl was passed out by a trash can. It was only 7:00, but it was finally dark outside. 

“Well, here we are,” Dina said awkwardly. They climbed out of the car, making their way past the couple to the front door. 

Dina led the way inside, and Ricky Berry greeted them at the door. You could smell the cheap alcohol leaking from his pores, it was obvious he’d pregamed. “Dina, welcome, Sydney not so much and Stanley definitely not. Also rando, hello,” he blocked them at the door. “Eh I’m too drunk to care, I just need three bucks from each of you,” his words slurred. 

“Here,” Dina paid him the 12 dollars, pulling it from her purse.

“Thanks,” Stan muttered. 

Dina and Syd went off towards the kitchen, where a small group was playing beer pong. Syd was pretty confident she could win, given her powers and all. 

Stan went off to get some drinks in the living room while Jacob went upstairs to find the bathroom. 

“Hey stranger,” someone called to him from behind. 

Jacob turned abruptly, but there were so many people around he could hardly tell who was talking. 

A girl emerged from the hallway, grabbing Jacob by the arm. He flinched at the contact, but kept a straight face. “Uh hello,” he managed to respond. 

“So,” she had somewhat of a flirty demeanor, still touching his arm as she talked, “what’s your name? I haven’t seen you around.” 

Despite her somewhat friendly personality she might’ve been the scariest girl he’d ever seen. She had long dark hair, and a black leather jacket. 

“Jacob,” he said uneasily. 

“I’m Jenny,” she responded, biting her lip a little. “So, do you wanna go make out or something,” she said blatantly. 

“Umm no,” he responded, feeling very uncomfortable. His anxiety was definitely spiking now, and he desperately wanted to find Stan. 

“You sure?” She asked, trailing her hands from his arms to his chest. 

“Uh,” he tried, but no words came out. 

She pushed him against the hallway wall, going in for a kiss. Jacob was stunned, and pushed her away a few seconds after he regained his composure. 

“I uhh,” he tried again. 

Jenny shrugged, “your loss,” she said before walking away to find someone else. 

Jacob sat for a second, trying to process what just happened when Stan walked in, carrying two shots of vodka. 

“Hey babe,” he said happily. “Babe is good right?” 

“Uh yeah,” Jacob responded.

“Well, let’s drink to that. Drink to adorable pet names,” Stan tried, but Jacob looked pretty dead inside. He handed him the glass and they both drank. Jacob cringed and coughed for a minute, since it was his first time actually drinking. Stan took it like a champ. 

“Let’s go get some more,” Stan suggested, pulling Jacob by the wrist back to the living room.

After three more shots of vodka mixed with watermelon juice, some fireball and what smelled like cough syrup, they were pretty wasted. As was most of the people there, since it’d been around two hours of basically just drinking. 

Stan and Jacob joined Syd and Dina in their game of beer pong, which ended in quite some interesting consequences. Jacob had to take off his shirt, which Stan thoroughly enjoyed, and Syd had to chug some beer upside down. 

Stan missed his next shot, which ended in him having to kiss the person next to him. Jacob watched, glaring slightly, as Stan kissed Sydney Novak. 

Dina laughed it off, and Syd complained afterwards that she’d get Stan’s ‘herpes.’ 

Jacob was still angry though, and he walked off to the back patio where he could get some fresh air. It turned out a bunch of kids were just vaping, so the air was definitely not fresh. 

Stanley followed him out, pushing past the vape kids. “Hey, what’s wrong?” He asked dumbly. 

“Oh,” Jacob responded, turning around to face his boyfriend. His curly hair stuck to his forehead, he kind of looked adorable. “It’s nothing, I’m just not feeling too hot.” He lied. 

“It’s probably ‘cause you’re drunk,” Stan responded matter of factly. It definitely showed, Stan was slurring his words, and he smelled of weed and the vodka he spilled on his shirt. 

“Hey Stan,” Jacob stammered, he knew he was acting differently but he didn’t really have anything holding him back from what he would say next. 

“Yeah?” He responded, smiling dumbly as he reached to hold Jacob’s hand. 

“I,” he stopped, thinking through what he would say next. Did he really mean it? Could he, after everything he’s done? “I love you.” 

“Oh,” Stan responded, slightly taken aback. “I love you too,” he said finally, smiling wider this time. 

They kissed, out in the open, at the party. None of the nearby kids seemed to be paying attention, surprisingly enough. They kissed deeper, and Jacob ran his hands through Stan’s unruly curls. 

His intrusive thoughts returned at the worst time possible, reminding him how easily he could choke Stanley, how easily he could kill Stanley, how refreshing it would be to see the small light leave his eyes, before his corpse would fall limp into his arms. 

No, Stan was not Shawn, no matter how good it would feel. Jacob loved Stan, alive. They continued to kiss, occasionally breaking for air before Jacob’s hands moved down from his hair. He traced his fingers down Stan’s neck, twirling the last bit of hair before wrapping his hands around his neck. He squeezed slightly, and Stan broke from the kiss, slightly alarmed. He squeezed again, harder this time, and Stan gasped for the air that he could not get. His eyes went wide before clawing at Jacob’s hand, where he immediately let go. 

Stan gasped for air, and Jacob slowly backed up. “Stan, Stan I’m so sorry oh my god. I don’t know why I did that,” he started, leaning forward again to wipe the tears from Stan’s eyes. 

“I,” Stan finally let out, but his voice was short and raspy. “I’m ok,” he stammered. 

Jacob hugged him tightly, rubbing circles on his spine. “Stan I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me,” but it was a lie. He knew exactly what came over him. It was the same when him and Derek set out to go ‘hunting,’ it was the same when they killed Ben.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes 
> 
> This is random but thank you all for the comments 🥺🥺🥺 They make my day bc you guys are amazing <3333


	11. When the Party's Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the party ends and shit goes down... 
> 
> aLSO I apologize for the chapter title I swear I don't listen to Billie that much,,, I'm a 16 yr old girl I'm sorry 😔 Anyways stream Somewhere Only We Know cause Blaine Anderson goes HARD and I'm suprised that I don't write glee fanfiction at this point (tik tok brought me back)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys! I'm so excited to put out this chapter because everything's finally coming together skskjkks I'm so glad I actually planned out this fic ahhh ok bye enjoy

Shit. Holy shit. What the fuck. How did this happen? How did Jacob go from the mysterious boy next door to a murdering choking asshole? It just didn’t make sense. Stan prided himself on being almost a therapist for his friends, always pointing out red flags, right from wrongs. Hell, he’s helped Syd in the most confusing time of her life, although losing her dad might’ve topped getting superpowers. It didn’t really matter, nothing mattered after Jacob but his hands on him, out in public for everyone to see. 

It was humiliating. Luckily nobody had been paying attention to them, surprisingly enough. Usually, two boys kissing would've gotten everyone riled up; this is Brownsville Pennsylvania we're talking about, but it seemed everyone was preoccupied with the mango vape Stan could still smell. He was sitting behind a bush, after walking away from his boyfriend. Jacob had gone back inside to ‘give him some space.’ It was a disaster. 

Stan was still crying, and the sound of the party inside mocked his grief. Why had he forgiven Jacob so easily; no questions asked? Why did he want to apologize to him for the trouble? Nothing made sense. 

An hour had passed and the party was finally dying down. Somehow it hadn’t been busted, probably due to the limited number of cops in this town that were preoccupied with the Brad Lewis case. Speaking of Brad, Ricky had hosted a game of kings in his honor. One of his dares was for some asshole jock to dump his drink on Dina’s head, causing her to leave much sooner than planned. She found Jacob and Syd and set off to retrieve Stan from where Jacob said he’d been hiding. Over the hour, Stan had sobered up, his dull and depressing thoughts nulling out the numbness of the alcohol. He probably would have driven, but crashing Dina’s car was not an activity he wanted to partake in. 

“Let’s go, Stan,” she called to him from where he was laying behind the bush. 

He stood up slowly, pulling a blunt from his pocket and intending to smoke it. “Yeah, none of that in my car. My dad would kill me if he smelled it,” Dina responded with a small laugh. 

Stan just put it back, still dazed as Bloodwitch lyrics danced through his head. 

‘My life's shame and sorrow falling back

lead me from my head down underground’

They climbed into Dina’s car, sitting down next to each other awkwardly in the back seat. Jacob averted Stan’s glance, instead focusing on the street view outside of the window. Driving still made him nervous, especially since he was placing his trust in a girl who he barely knew, a slightly drunk girl at that. Dina swerved on the road, to avoid hitting a squirrel. Jacob felt his whole body tense, and he tightly gripped the ceiling handle. Stan watched, intrigued by Jacob's sudden movements. He reached for his hand, and Jacob took it in his own, smiling a little. It was a peace offering. 

They pulled into Stan’s driveway and Stan stopped dead in his tracks. His dad’s eighteen-wheeler was parked on the road, across from the house. The living room light was n, which meant his dad was probably ‘watching the game.’

“Oh shit, we can’t stay here. I’m really sorry guys, but if my dad sees you we’re all dead,” Stan said nervously. He knew how his dad would feel about them. Syd had told Stan that she and Dina were officially dating while they played beer pong earlier, and he’d congratulated her. He was finally over her, thank god for that. It never came up that he was dating Jacob though because Stan knew how she’d react. Probably similar to his father’s reaction if he knew his son was dating a boy. 

“It’s ok Stan, we can dip if you want,” Dina responded. She didn’t care about going home, but the other two had many different stories. 

“Yeah, I can finally show my mom I’m alive I guess,” Syd said lightly, but the thought was terrifying.

“I can head home too,” Jacob added. “And uh Stan, you can crash at my place if you don’t wanna see your dad- we just gotta be out by morning before my parents see,” Jacob suggested. He didn’t know how Stan would respond, especially after his previous mental breakdown. 

“Yeah, that would be great. Uh, thanks Jacob,” he said with a small smile. Dina smiled at him, probably excited that the two were flirting. She had no idea that the two were dating as well. 

“Well, this was fun while it lasted,” said Syd. “Dina, can you give me a ride home?” 

“Sure thing babe,” she responded. Brad used to call her babe, and it was a weird change of fate to call Syd the pet name. Even though Dina knew Syd didn’t mean to do it, it still seemed weird to think that she killed her ex-boyfriend. 

“Bye guys,” Stan said finally as the two girls climbed back into Dina’s car. It wasn’t until they were down the street that Jacob spoke up. 

“So do you wanna talk about your dad?” he asked, trying his very best to be empathetic. 

“Not really. He’s a dick, and that’s pretty much it. If he saw I was sleeping over with a guy he’d probably run me over,” he tried to joke, but it fell flat. 

“I’m sorry,” Jacob tried, but the whole conversation was crashing and burning. 

“It’s fine, I guess not everyone can be all accepting and stuff.” 

“I haven’t told my dad I’m gay yet, I don’t know what he’ll think of me,” Jacob said truthfully. 

“Well, after your trial and everything I don’t think there’s anything that could make him not love you,” Stan replied without a moment’s thought. 

“I think my dad likes you too Stan, and he’s good enough for the both of us,” Jacob led him over to the tree by his window, climbing up it and sliding open his bedroom window. 

“Well we should probably go to bed, I know I’m really tired,” Jacob said once they’d sat down on his bed. “You can wear some of my clothes if you want,” he indicated to a pile of clean clothes neatly folded on his chair. Stan picked out a shirt they’d thrifted together, reminiscing at the recently made memory. They really hadn’t been dating that long. 

“Goodnight Stan, and you should know that I am truly sorry about earlier,” Jacob said finally before laying down. 

“Jake, I know you don’t really like talking about this but I think you owe it to me to tell me the truth,” Stan said when he laid next to him in bed. “Tell me about the murder, please just tell me the truth.” 

“Stan,” Jacob started, mumbling on his name. “I- I’m drunk Stan. We really shouldn’t talk about this right now.” His thoughts were very clear, despite his drunken state. Do not tell Stan anything, because he will leave you and you’ll be alone forever. Yet, there he was, asking him for the truth, and for once in his life, Jacob told the truth. 

“Jacob I need to know okay, I promise I won’t judge you, no matter what. I just want- need to know what happened.” 

Jacob turned over, facing Stan for the first time since ‘the incident.’ “fine- ok fine.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “You know me and Derek used to date, and how we used to write basically porn together. Well, one day he told me he had a crush on this girl, her name was Sarah. Well, we weren’t really dating, we’d just jerked each other off a few times when we wrote these stories. It was weird, I dunno. Basically, this girl Sarah’s nudes were on Ben’s phone, and Derek knew about it. He stole Ben’s phone, I guess to impress Sarah or something, and I kinda just ignored the whole ordeal. That was until Derek started to write a story with me, and well uhh,” his voice trailed off, and Stan struggled to take in everything Jacob was telling him. 

“Well uh, the story was about killing Ben. He’d written the story on my laptop while I played video games, and I’d given him some input with it. I read it, and I told him it was good and whatnot,” 

“Ok,” Stan replied when Jacob stopped talking altogether. His stomach sank, and against his will, he said, “you can say it, Jacob, it’s ok.” 

“Well, we started talking about killing Ben for real. It would be so easy since Derek had his phone and I knew how he got to school every day. We uhh, we made a plan, jokingly at first but it progressed over the five days he had the phone. Eventually, we’d had enough and we cornered him in the park. I uhh,” Jacob took another deep breath. It felt so good to finally speak the truth, although the guilt hadn’t bothered him too much. Now he was worried about Stan, and his worried eyes. How would he ever look at him the same? 

He picked at his thumbs, drawing blood before he spoke again. “We killed him before school. I stood behind him, so I didn’t get any blood on me. Derek stabbed him once, and I stabbed him again until he was dead for sure. We cleaned the knife in a nearby stream, and we went off to school, taking separate paths and meeting up later. Derek blamed me for it because he didn’t want to get in trouble, and I don’t blame him. I deserve it after everything, and I don’t deserve anything. Stan, I know what you must be thinking..” 

Stan watched him, carefully deciding what to say next. Jacob could kill him at any given moment, as he was surely capable of doing so. Yet somehow Stan wasn’t scared. “It’s ok,” he said softly. 

Jacob looked confused, almost doubtful of his response. 

“It’s ok Jacob, Derek made you do it,” Stan’s dodging of the truth was almost comical. Jacob had very willingly killed Ben, not only for bullying him but also for the pleasure he got from overpowering someone else. But if Stan could still love him, all while knowing the truth of his guiltiness- Jacob couldn’t mess this up. 

“I love you, Stan,” Jacob said gently, holding his boyfriend’s hand before drifting off to sleep. He’d messed this up, so incredibly bad, but somehow it's worked out. He’d said the thing he’d sworn never to talk about, and Stan still loved him. Holy hell. 

Stan pondered the situation in his head as he too drifted off to sleep, his last thought being that he now knew two more killers than he thought he ever would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woah luv, I really hope this lines up somewhat with the show cause I really did bullshit half of his confession :)) 
> 
> I am once again thanking you all for the comments because they make me feel emotions again💖💖💖


	12. Well Damn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stan comes home :////

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys! I'm sorry this chapter is so short, I've had a pretty rough day after hearing about Naya Rivera's death. (and this subject is hard to write in general...)  
> But, on a happier note, it was Wyatt's birthday so I felt inspired to write a lil somethin to keep you guys from waitin too much longer!!
> 
> tw for child abuse and the r slur ://  
> I hope this doesn't trigger anyone cause Stan's about to get fucked up  
> I love you all!!!

Stan climbed out of Jacob's window at 8 am, drowsy and hungover. The bright sunlight almost made him throw up, but he somehow managed to make his way back into his house. He realized quickly that his bedroom window was locked, and he’d have to go through his front door. Great. Hopefully, his deadbeat dad would be too drunk to notice. 

He quietly opened the front door, which ran right into his dad who was sleeping at the door. Shit. 

“Who’s there?” his dad asked sleepily. He grabbed Stan by the ankle, and in his weakened state, he easily fell to the floor. 

The night before his dad had conspired that a criminal would try to rob their house, so he’d slept on the floor. Stan’s mom was out drinking and still hadn’t come back. This was family, right? 

“Dad, it’s me, Stan,” he gently rubbed the back of his head, which had slammed into the door in his fall. 

“Where the hell have you been?” His dad asked brashly. 

“Out,” Stan replied minimally as he stood, walking away from his sad excuse of a dad. 

“Don’t walk away from me, boy.” The tension in the room took Stan back to when he was eight years old. It was the first time he’d ‘walked away’ from his dad. It was after he’d asked him to snoop through his mom's purse while he was at work. He said no. It was the first time his dad hit him. Stan knew what this silence meant. 

He had stood, walking over to where Stan was now standing. He flinched in anticipation. 

“Who did this?” his dad asked, pointing at the two handprints on his neck where he’d obviously been choked. 

“It’s nothing,” he lied, but his dad pressed onwards. Since when had he been so interested in his life? 

“When I ask a question, you answer. Simple. Are you r*tarded or something?” he asked coldly. Of course, he had to use a slur to get his point across. 

“I said it’s nothing,” Stan repeated. 

“Oh, I get it. You think because I’ve been gone all this time you can just disrespect me. Isn’t that right?” he belittled his son.

“No,” Stan answered, his little ounce of courage gone. He felt just as helpless and defenseless as he had when he was eight. 

“No what,” his father added, smirking a little. 

The trauma came flooding back. “No sir,” Stan said finally. 

“That’s right. Maybe I should give you a reminder to respect your elders.” 

Stan’s last thoughts were about his dad. Wishing he’d been killed by a serial killer at a gas station. Maybe a mugger in need of money. Maybe a prostitute had enough of his shit. Either way, the thought of an officer giving him the dire news made him smile faintly before his dad punched him in the face, knocking him right back to the ground where their conversation had started. 

Dina dropped Syd off at her house, giving her some encouraging words about how to handle her mom. “Just deal with the consequences Syd. she deserves to see you again.” 

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Syd answered somewhat sarcastically. 

She slowly closed the front door, careful not to wake her mom and brother. Tomorrow she would ‘deal with the consequences,’ but for now, she’d sleep off her hangover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so uhh,,, yeahhhh ummm I made an art account if you guys wanna follow it!!! (shameless self promo) It's @hon.eyclouds :)))) 👉👈
> 
> Thank you all for all the comments!!! <333💖


	13. The Comfort in Hurt/ Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stan forgives Jacob (even though he probably shouldn’t)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I’m so sorry this chapter is late. It’s been a rough week for me and writing this was actually really hard.   
> I hope you enjoy this fluff cause you guys earned it 🥺🥺🥺

When Jacob woke up, Stan was gone and he was alone. The sun shone brightly through his window, glistening right in his eyes. That definitely helped cure his hangover, which made every movement intolerable. Eventually he’d drawn his curtains shut, collapsing back on his bed to think about his actions the night before. 

Great, he’d managed to ruin the only positive relationship he’d made. He’d choked him, fucking choked him. There was nothing kinky about it. It was uncomfortable at best, and assault at worst. Shit, now Stan must totally hate him. Maybe if he begged his dad enough he’d let them move away from this whole mess. Sadly that was unlikely amidst the Brad Lewis fiasco. 

Speaking of which, he’d promised his dad he’d get intel on Syd. he didn’t really mind doing so, especially considering how much of a mythic bitch she’d been to him. (Dina made him listen to Heathers at the party last night…). Syd had pushed him over the edge. He struggled to recall the memory, his hangover actually doing it’s job. What had she said? Oh yeah, “Well you did go on trial for murder, right?” That was really great. What a kind way to treat a stranger. But it wasn’t that, no- not really. It was what Stan had said afterwards that mattered. Yeah, definitely suspicious. “Quit it Syd, you’re hardly one to talk.” That was evidence if he ever did see it. Syd must’ve been the one to kill Brad; but the question was how. 

“Fuck, I have to call Stan,” he muttered to himself. He’d fucked things up enough, and it was time to fix it. Although the memory of Stan, bruised and gasping for air did strike up all the wrong feelings. It took all his strength, focusing on naked grandmas to keep him from getting a boner right then and there. Why did his brain work like this? 

He pulled his phone off the charger and quickly called Stan, reminiscing at his contact picture. He’d taken it during their Star Wars marathon while he wasn’t looking, but the flash on his camera had given him away. Why couldn’t things be like that again? 

It rung for a minute or two before Stan finally picked up. “H-hello?” he said groggily. 

“Hey Stan, can we talk?” Jacob said in the gentilist voice he could muster. 

“Jacob,” he answered in almost a whisper. He sounded like shit, and he could only imagine what he looked like. Maybe he was really fucked up… maybe he would forget? “I- I don’t wanna talk, ok?” he finally breathed out, coughing on the other end of the line. 

‘Then why did you answer the phone?’ he thought, but he knew he couldn’t say that, especially not now. He picked at his thumbs while he spoke, “I’m sorry- about everything.” 

“Yeah you should be,” Stan said harshly. His drunken sense of security was gone, and he no longer wanted to put up with Jacob’s shit. He had hurt him, really really bad. And on top of that he confessed to murder, not so oddly enough. No way in hell did he want to accept an apology now. He had to do what Syd always said, he had to ‘grow a pair.’  
“Stan I didn’t mean to, you have to believe me,” it came flooding back, the feelings of empathy and remorse. Jacob had said that he didn’t want to kill Ben, that Derek made him. He was used, and then blamed for the crime. A pedopile had gone to jail for that crime. What even was real, was it all lies? “Please,” Jacob pleaded over the line, “just let me make it up to you. How about you come over- I uh, I can make chocolate chip pancakes if you want.” 

So now he was asking him for permission, ironic. Jacob was always submissive when they spoke. Passive even. “Fine, I’ll be over in a few minutes,” Stan said finally. Despite everything there was something captivating about Jacob that he just couldn’t get away from. 

Jacob quickly pulled out a sheet of paper, writing a quick summary of last night before Stan arrived. 

“Jason embraced Shawn in a passionate kiss, lasting the sweat and alcohol on his lips before the attack. Shawn was vulnerable, enraptured by his lustful approach. Jason took this as an easy opportunity to strike, wrapping his hands around his neck tightly before squeezing. Shawn’s gaze went from loving to terrified, and tears swelled in his eyes as Jason continued to squeeze. ‘That’s it babe,’ Jason said with a smile, smirking at the curly haired boy struggling beneath his grasp. Shawn went limp, his beautiful brown eyes rolling to the back of his head. He dropped him, before kissing him one last time. His lips still warm, not yet lifeless. What a sight for sore eyes.” 

Jacob tucked the paper under his bed before sprinting for his front door, where Stan rang the doorbell urgently. Jacob swung the door open, greeted by his not so happy boyfriend. He looked as bad as he sounded, maybe even worse. There was a bright purple ring around his eye where he’d obviously been decked, and red handprints around his neck from last night. It was hot, in a ‘Jd from heathers’ kinda way. Fuck you Dina. 

Jacob pretended to be shocked instead of turned on. “Oh my god Stan, what happened to your eye?” he graced it lightly with his fingers and Stan flinched away. 

“It’s- it’s nothing,” Stan tried, but tears were welling in his eyes. Fuck, so much for represing his trauma and coping with bad jokes and Bloodwitch. 

“Hey, come here,” Jacob said gently, pulling him into a hug. They embraced for what felt like an eternity, Jacob playing with Stan’s hair. His therapist would be proud of him, for showing empathy and all. 

“M-my dad, he h-hit me,” Stan struggled through hiccups. He was able to see Syd just fine after his dad hit him before homecoming. Why was this so different? 

Jacob felt like shit. Here was Stan, beaten by his own dad, and all Jacob could think about was boning him. He felt genuinely guilty now, remembering how hard his dad had fought for him, how hard he’d fought to give him everything he wanted. Then there was Stan’s dad, a piece of shit who hit his own child. 

“Stan I’m so sorry,” Jacob said gently as he held him tighter. After awhile he let go, pulling him into the kitchen. 

“I believe you promised chocolate chip pancakes,” Stan reminded him with a laugh. 

They made the food in a comfortable verbal silence. The air was filled with the smell of sweet melting chocolate and the sensational sound of Bloodwitch. Jacob gave him an Advil and an ice pack before sitting down next to him at the table. 

His pancake was shaped like a heart, classy. “Hey,” Jacob as he sat down. 

“Hey,” Stan answered with a smile. Believe it or not the corny sentiment pancake was actually making him feel better. Nothing beats nice warm chocolate chip pancakes with powdered sugar on top. Nothing. 

“Want some whipped cream?” Jacob asked. 

“I’m good,” Stan responded. Things seemed normal enough, and Stan made a decision. “I forgive you, alright? I’m sorry for snapping earlier. I just had a really rough morning.” 

“Yeah, I know baby,” Jacob held Stan’s hand in his own, slightly proud of himself for finally using a pet name. 

After they ate Stan suggested they finish their Star Wars marathon. They’d only watched the prequels, and although Anakin was hot (no questions asked) there was more to the series than him. 

“Lemme do something real quick,” Jacob said gently before running off to his room. Guiltily, he pulled the story from under his bed. He ripped it up dramatically before throwing it away. He had to be here for Stan now, and jerking off to his trauma was far more disgusting than anything he and Derek did. Stan loved him, loves him, and he can’t fuck that up. Not ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love you all ahhhh ❤️❤️ I’m so extremely proud of how this fic has come along and yeah this is cringe but I can only thank you guys so here 💖💕✨💖✨💕✨💖❤️🥺💖💕✨❤️   
> Plz leave comments cause I’m really bored and sad on a road trip rn!! <333


	14. When will you learn? That your actions have CoNsEqUeNcEs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Syd gets questioned for murder :))) 
> 
> aka everything from the adults perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys! I'm so so sorry about how long it took me to upload this :// I had to research it a lil bit to make sure it was accurate, plus I finally planned out the rest of the story. SO stay tuned, because a lot of shit is about to go down

“Hey Laurie,” Maggie Novak said quietly when she finally answered her phone. It’d rung four times already, but she’d been asleep. She stayed up all night after receiving Syd’s letter; waiting for her to return home. Syd was now asleep in her bed, and Maggie felt guilty for not feeling any ounce of relief. Sure, she was safe and well, which was exactly what she’d been praying for, but now came the next step. Questions, lots of questions, and quite frankly Maggie Novak was too tired to form a cohesive thought, let alone conduct a one-man interview on a 16-year-old. 

“Maggie I’m so glad you answered. When Jacob came home last night he told Andy Syd was at a sleepover with him at Stanley Barber’s house. He’s our neighbor and-” 

“Syd came home at about 3 am last night,” Maggie said softly. Liam was asleep on the couch, where he’d fallen asleep after an unsuccessful all-nighter. He too wanted to see Syd’s return home. 

“Oh my,” was all Laurie could say. “I’m glad she’s home safe,” she added for good measure. 

“Me too, I was worried sick this whole week. She’s asleep now but I’m gonna talk to her as soon as she wakes up.” 

“Well,” Laurie said anxiously, “Andy wants her to come down to the station today, the cops have a few questions they wanna ask her.” 

“Oh,” she replied, a little surprised by the comment. “Yeah, I’ll take her down around twelve if that’s ok with everyone.” 

“Sure thing Maggie, and truly if you need anything let me know. I know how hard this must be for you,” Laurie rambled. 

“Thanks, Laurie, but I think we’ll be ok. I’ll call you back soon, alright?” 

“Yeah, uhh- take care, Maggie.” 

“You too.” 

Andy Barber walked down his staircase to see Stanley Barber asleep with his son on their couch. The two were cuddling, and honestly, he was happy for his son. He’d finally found peace after all these years of hardship. 

Star Wars music was blaring from the tv, so he turned it off, careful not to wake the two up. Jacob said he was sleeping over at Stan’s last night, but it’d been apparent the two were out partying when the cops were called to ‘the Barry’ household. Andy was interested because Ricky was considered a close friend of Brad’s, and after some easy questions at the door alongside the other officers, Andy quickly figured out every teenager in town was present. The party was shut down not long after, and Andy figured Jacob had been smart enough to dip. What he didn't know was Jacob hadn't stayed long enough to see the cops. 

So Andy left for work, leaving the pair behind to recuperate. On the way there he got a call from Laurie saying that Sydney Novak was home. She said that she’d told Maggie to send her down to the station, and Andy thanked her. He wasn’t even a little bit surprised that Laurie had done this without any word from him or the cops. She knew enough about the process to send her on her way. Andy was excited too, to finally learn Syd’s side of the story. To confirm why she’d been in hiding this entire week. 

Sydney was already at the station when Andy arrived, nervously glancing around the room like a Kit-Cat Klock. Maggie was seated next to her, holding her hand and reassuring her that everything would be ok. Syd wasn’t buying any of it. 

Andy conferred with the other officers, discussing their next course of action. The Mayor had demanded schools reopen next Monday, so that was definitely a problem. It was already Sunday, which meant they had very little time to figure this out. 

By the time Syd was taken in for questioning, it’d been almost an hour. 

“Hi Sydney, we just want to ask you a few questions today,” an officer said when Syd was finally seated in the interrogation room. “Your mom is right outside, and you’ll be on your way as soon as we’re done.” 

Andy sat down outside of the room, next to a few other officers who came for a show. This was the biggest case open, and everyone was excited to hear more. 

“Don’t I have Miranda rights or something?” Syd asked defensively. Andy chuckled from outside of the room; it was apparent that Syd would be hard to cooperate with. 

The officer smiled reassuringly before continuing. “Well yes, but you’re not being arrested. We just want to ask you a few questions. If you want a lawyer, which you are entitled to, you can have one. But, you do see how that looks, correct?” 

“Right,” she said nervously. “I don’t need a lawyer because I’m not in trouble.” her voice shook uneasily, something everyone picked up on. 

“Bingo. I’m only here to ask you some easy questions, so, can we begin?” 

“Uhh, sure.” 

“Let’s start with homecoming, what happened that night?”   
Fuck fuck fuck fuck- “well I went to homecoming with my friend Dina.” the officer jotted something down and Syd waited to continue. 

“Alright, so what happened after that?” 

“Well, we hung out with my friend Stan. Stanley Barber.” 

“Uh-huh. Now I’m gonna ask you about Brad Lewis. Where were you when he died?” 

“Well I was at homecoming,” Syd replied matter of factly. Andy cringed from outside of the room, judging the officer’s seemingly lame tactics. If only he could go in there… 

The officer laughed lightly. “Yes, but we want details, ok? Can you help me out here?” he tried the ‘good-guy approach,’ which surprisingly worked. Some ‘juvenile desire to please an adult interrogator’ after all. 

“Ok fine. Brad came on stage and took the microphone. He started reading my diary to everyone, like- really embarrassing stuff.” Syd felt her cheeks flush at the traumatic memory. The officer continued writing. 

“Right. Do you know why Brad wanted to embarrass you?” 

“Here comes the motive,” said another officer by Andy. For once, he agreed. 

“Well, you see we had detention a few days before homecoming. I got in for standing up for Dina when Brad got her detention too.” 

“Elaborate,” the officer said carefully. 

“Dina got a zero on a test after Brad cheated off her. They were dating at the time so Brad thought he could walk all over her.” 

“Uh-huh. Anything else?” 

“At detention, I saw Brad cheating on Dina, so I told her. She’s my best friend after all.” 

“So that’s why Brad wanted revenge because you told his girlfriend he cheated on her?” 

“I guess so.” 

“So back to when he died. You were right in front of him, correct?” 

“Yes,” she said a little too quickly. 

“Well can you answer the big question?”

“Which is?” 

“How did he die?” 

Syd contemplated for a moment, before concluding the only logical solution; ignorance. “I have no idea.” 

Everyone outside groaned in almost unison. 

“Can you at least detail whatever you saw?” 

“Sure. He was walking towards me, carrying my diary. He was about to say something else and then his head exploded. I don’t know how or why it just happened. Then I ran because I was confused and scared.” 

“And where did you run to?” 

“The water tower up on the mountain.” 

“So why did you stay there for so long? Almost a week, right?” 

“I don’t really know. I was just so scared after everything that went down. I felt like I was trapped.” 

“So what happ[ened to your diary, police never found it on the scene, but multiple witnesses agree that Brad had it when he died.” 

“I have no idea. I thought my friend Stan had it, but I’m not sure.” 

“Alrighty then Mrs. Novak, do you have anything else you wanna say before you’re on your way?” 

“Yeah. I didn’t kill Brad Lewis.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> low key a filler chapter but that's fineee the boys will be back next chapter :))) 
> 
> Comments??? <3333


	15. First Day of School Tingz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the first day back in school and some ✨interesting things✨ happen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!!! I'm sorry this is like super super late... but alas more updates will come soon! Online school makes it way to easy to write fanfiction in class 😎

“This is bull shit,” Syd whispered to Dina. They were gossiping in home-room, trying to ignore the loud voices that filled the classroom. School had finally reopened, and most of the kids were not very excited. 

By the time English 11 rolled around, Syd was exhausted. Luckily she had this class with Stan, and they talked quietly in the back of the room. The paranoia was the worst of it, ever since that homecoming night when almost everyone saw her drenched in blood after Bradley’s demise. It felt like everyone was watching her, teachers included. 

“I just don’t know what to do now. I’m back at my mom’s but she doesn’t trust me. Not since she took me down to the station-”

“Are you finished Mrs. Novak?” Everyone once again drew their eyes to Syd, and her face blushed a bright pink. “Anyways, as I was saying-” 

She tried her best to drown him out, drown everyone out, and just focus on a little doddle she was working on. 

“Hey, you ok?” Stan asked, but Syd just nodded and turned away. Today was definitely the worst day in existence, you know, besides the homicide. 

When lunch rolled around things were starting to feel a little bit normal. Stan sat next to Jacob on one side of the bleachers, Syd and Dina on the other. They talked a little, and it was nice. Syd noticed that Dina didn’t really care about popularity anymore. Like Jacob and even herself, Dina was a ‘new kid,’ and people really only paid attention to her when they were admiring her looks or boldly asking her out. Now, Dina was slightly ignored by the student body. She was “suspicious” after Brad’s death, and some people even thought she might’ve been a part of it. This made her “dangerous” too. Besides that she was looked down upon for dating Syd…”homo.” Although not everyone conformed to peer pressure; so the kids that weren’t making fun of her were comforting her. They understood why it must’ve been hard losing Brad, and they tried to hold back their judgements on her moving on so fast. 

“So how was your first day? Stan asked Jacob eagerly. The slightest amount of grape jelly rested underneath his bottom lip.

“Ehh, alright I guess,” Jacob lied. His day had been just as good as Syd’s, and he wasn’t too thrilled about having to finish the rest of the day, let alone the year. Nobody there really knew or cared about the trial, which was probably good but it also meant nobody really cared about him at all. 

Stan noticed Jacob losing eye contact, meaning his words were dry and empty. He had to make it up for him somehow, right? Stan had never been “the new kid,” but he knew the struggle all too well by observing how his school handled both Syd and Dina. “maybe we can get slushies after school? I’ll drive…” Stan tried gently, holding Jacobs’s hand in his own. Nobody really knew the two were dating, besides nobody really paid much attention to them anyways. 

“Yeah, that’d be nice,” Jacob replied warmly, squeezing Stan’s hand. 

“You guys are so cute,” Dina teased while eating her ramen noodles. “Syd never takes me anywhere.” 

Sydney looked like she’d just been slapped in the face. “Not true! What about that time we- uhh- you know that time-?” 

“Yeah, case and point.” They all laughed, finally feeling the warmth and love they’d missed from each other. No alcohol or weed needed, just bros being pals. 

Lunch ended and they each headed for their next class. Unluckily enough for Jacob, his next class was P.E. After a quick scan around the room Jacob realized he didn’t know anyone in this class either, except one girl he thought he maybe knew from the party. What was her name? 

She walked over to him quickly, almost towering above him. Jacob was pretty tall, but this girl’s black platform boots made her taller than anyone in the school. “You’re Jacob, right? From the party?” she blew a bubble with her orange fruit gum. 

“Umm yeah, who are you again?” he said cautiously. 

“Jenny. You must’ve been pretty wasted, most people at least remember me after making out.” she said slyly. 

It all came flooding back at once, oh god. They were in the hallway. She kissed him, he pushed away. Did that count as cheating? Did that count as assault? Everything was so confusing. 

“Oh, uh sorry about that.” he said quietly. 

Jenny looked him up and down, questioningly. Jacob was an unusual individual. “So are you new or something? I usually know everyone in this shithole of a town.” 

“Yeah, I just moved here like a week ago..” 

“That must’ve been great, move into a new town with a big fucking murder mystery. That must’ve been fun.” she stammered. Her voice was a little shaky now, and maybe if Jacob was good at reading body language he would’ve realized she was upset. 

“Did you know him?” shit. It was the wrong thing to say, and he realized it just as he said it. He looked at Jenny nervously, waiting for her to snap or call him out.  
Instead she just nodded. “Yeah, me and Brad used to date.” she said nonchalantly. Her composure was back after a quick swig of what Jacob could only assume was vodka. Damn this town was weird. 

“Oh. I thought he was with Dina.” 

Jenny laughed suddenly, a genuine laugh she probably hadn’t felt in years. “Dina? Yeah, they were dating. Brad cheated on her with me… I guess that makes me a teenage homewrecker or something.” she paused and laughed some more, and Jacob smiled a little too now. “Yeah, actually I think Brad wrecked that relationship enough when he blew up.” 

“Blew up?” Jacob asked curiously. 

“Yeah. I was right there when it happened. He was calling out Sydney Novak, and all the sudden he just blew up. His body was intact, but his head was splattered all over Syd’s dress.” 

“Are you ok?” Jacob asked genuinely. He usually didn’t take other people's emotions into account, but after Stan he was willing to make an exception. 

“Yeah, the booze helps but it’s not like I miss him that much anyways.” She looked downwards at the floor. “He was just a quick fuck, nothing much more.” 

“Ouch.” 

“Yeah, I know that might sound kinda harsh, but I don’t really care. Maybe that’s just the booze talking though.” She laughed but it sounded almost disconnected. 

Jacob didn’t get a chance to offer his condolences before Jenny spoke again. “I think I found closure though. This may sound crazy but I think I know who killed him.” 

Jacob perked up, waiting for the answer. “Oh?” 

“Yeah.. the night it happened I found something on the floor. Some people might call it evidence, but I’m gonna call it a confession. It was Syd’s diary.” 

Jacob was stunned momentarily. “Confession? Was the murder premeditated or something?” He was getting more excited by the minute. If Syd went to jail that meant he never had to worry about her again, plus that’s another murderer off the street; not like that really mattered though. 

“No no- nothing like that. Syd claimed in the journal that she had some kind of superpowers or something.. I dunno but it kinda makes sense.” 

“What kind of superpowers?” 

“Telekinesis.” She wiggled her eyebrows as she spoke. “But really I think it makes sense. Brad’s head magically explodes and the cops think it’s a suicide? How would he even pull that off! Some people even think he got JFK’d. Like who actually cares that much to shot him, it’s not like he was a public threat or anything. I dunno if it’s because I’m like seriously drunk everyday but the idea of Syd killing him makes more and more sense each time I really think about it.” 

“Holy shit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized I'm the only person on ao3 who's written a Jacob/ Stan fic and idk how to feel about that... at least the Jacob Thrombey fics exist tho💖💅


	16. Another day, another joint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some fluff for the Barber boys,,, they deserve it tbh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah <3
> 
> this fic is drawing to an end so I'm really sad but also we'll go out with a bang so it's bittersweet :)))

“Jake! Over here!” Stanley called loudly from across the crowded hallway. Not many people looked up, but Jacob still felt embarrassed as a wide smile spread across his face. He pushed his way through the crowd to his smiling boyfriend. His eye was already healing, and he looked happier than ever. 

“I’ll drive you home if you want,” he offered with the wiggle of an eyebrow. 

Jacob was still nervous in cars, but he was starting to do better. He trusted Stan, and Stan was starting to trust him again too. 

“Um actually,” Jacob wasn’t good at conjuring spur of the moment ideas, but he was struck with inspiration. “Maybe you could teach me how to drive?” 

Stan was momentarily taken aback, but he went with it. “Yes! That’s a great idea, I know exactly where we can go.” He smiled and took Jacob’s hand kissing him on the cheek in front of everyone to see. 

“You could’ve told me you had a boyfriend.” 

Jacob practically jumped when he realized Jenny was standing right behind Stan. 

Stan turned around too, also surprised by her comment. 

“Um yeah, he’s my boyfriend,” Stan said cheekily. Jacob blushed, he liked being called ‘his boyfriend.’

“Well good for you guys,” she said with a fake smile. Stan rolled his eyes. 

She walked away, and Jacob turned back to Stan. “Do you guys have beef or something?” 

“You could say that,” Stan replied. “Let’s get out of here.” 

“Yeah, maybe we should cut back on the PDA too.” 

Their hands broke apart and they walked side by side to Stan’s old yellow car. 

“So what did you have in mind?” Jacob asked timidly. He was feeling a little less confident now that he was actually in the car. 

“Bowling alley, there's a big empty lot plus I work there so we can get free food,” Stan said happily as he started the car. 

“Oh so a bowling date,” Jacob said with a smile.  
“Uh yeah! A date it is,” Stan smiled back. 

They pulled into the mostly empty parking lot, and Stanley turned down the current Bloodwitch that was blasting from his phone. Sadly enough, Bloodwitch wasn’t available on cassette, and his car was too old for an aux cord. 

“Ok, here we go.” he got out of the car, switching seats with Jacob. 

Jacob stared at the wheel, petrified. This was the first time he’d ever tried driving in his entire life. The crash replayed in his mind again and again. “Mom please, stop!” His confession to his mom. “Ok I did it, will you slow down now?” It was as clear as the day it happened. 

“Hey.” Stan put his hand over Jacob’s. “It’ll be ok. I’m right here.” 

Jacob slowly nodded. 

“So do you have your permit yet?” Stan wanted to distract him by asking some easy questions. 

“No, my dad wanted to wait until we settled down in one place before I got registered to drive.”

“Oh. Do you know any of the road rules?” 

“Yeah I took the practice test a few times…” his mind started drifting away again. Waking up in a hospital bed, his dad clutching him. A year of physical therapy, three with the psychologist. 

“Awesome! So where do we start?” he asked gently. 

“Uhm, adjust the seat?” 

“Yup, I’m just a tad bit taller than you,” Stan said matter of factly. 

“wait- “ Jacob turned to him. “No, you’re not.” 

“Yes I am little man.” he smiled widely. “5 foot 8 baby.” 

“No way,” Jacob said, smiling now too. “I’m 5’7.” 

“That’s what I thought.” 

Stan explained how to fix his mirrors and change the gear stick before they were on their way. “So press the brake and put the car in drive.” 

Jacob did as told. “Ok awesome, now let's practice going straight. Just go to the end and then we can worry about turning.” 

Jacob drove forwards, astounded that he was finally operating a vehicle. 

“You’re doing great!” Stan said excitedly. Jacob blushed lightly. 

“Ok so now ease up a little and let's start making this turn.” 

“I’m only going 2 miles an hour…” 

Stan put his hands on the wheel from the passenger side, slowly turning the car with Jacob.  
“See, you got it!” Jacob loved the praise. 

They drove around for about an hour until Jacob called it quits. He’d managed to get up to 10 mph but was scared to break double digits. 

“I have an idea,” Stan said suddenly. He grabbed his weed from his console and they made their way into the bowling alley. 

“So this is where you work?” 

“Yup, gotta love it,” Stan said slyly. 

“I think it’s pretty cool… I’ve never had a job before.” 

“Oh. If you want I can talk to my boss about getting you one here! It’s pretty easy, nobody came here anyways even before the whole Brad thing.” 

Jacob looked almost shocked. “You’d do that for me?” 

“Yeah of course my love,” he said the nickname with ease. 

“My love?” Jacob said amusingly. 

Stan blushed madly. “I was just uh trying it out.” 

“I like it,” he admitted before pulling Stan in for a kiss. 

They spent the next 40 minutes roaming around the building, bowling a little but mostly stealing slushies. Much to everyone's surprise, Jacob won the game. Go figure. 

“You wanna smoke?” Stan asked suddenly. 

Jacob had never smoked weed before, but he wanted to try anyway. Today was a new day of new activities. “Yeah, ok.” 

Jacob took the first hit, breathing in the warmth and feeling a slight tingle in his lungs. He felt like he wanted to cough, but he didn’t. 

“How do you feel?” Stan asked as he exhaled. 

“Good. it doesn’t burn like everyone said it would,” he said slowly. 

“Right? It never burns for me.” 

They went on like this for a few more minutes before the effects kicked in. 

“How do you feel?” Stan asked yet again. 

“So good. I can’t think- like there are no thoughts in my mind. It’s blank.” Jacob tried to dwell on his usual thoughts, the car crash, the murder, the trial, etc. Yet nothing was there, and he almost took comfort in this new feeling of total relaxation. 

“Yeah that’s like the whole point,” Stan said with a smile. 

Jacob stared at the lights on the ceiling, and they started changing colors in his mind. They both laid down on the floor, holding hands as the thought in silence. The last time Stan got high with someone was Sydney. He’d asked her a bunch of stupid questions and then they’d had sex. Jacob was different though. You didn’t have to ask him random questions because he pondered his existence enough already. Stan squeezed his hand, happy to let Jacob’s mind rest for a little bit. He wanted to help him as best as he could, and this was his best option. He wanted to fix the broken boy, one gentle touch at a time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recently learned how to drive and smoked weed for the first time so this is heavily based on my own experiences :)) I hope you guys liked it! 
> 
> feel free to comment because I crave attention :/


	17. The Truth (part one)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I really took a 2 month break but surprise I'm back now!!! Anyways this is part one to the series finale, and part 2 should be up sometime this week. 
> 
> If anyone is still here- thanks for sticking with me during these past few months! I know this fic has been one wild ride, and I'm so thankful for everyone who likes it (for some odd reason) 
> 
> ... Anyways I'll save the dumb sappy stuff for the last chapter. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is so angsty and for what

“Hey Stan,” Jacob asked quietly. The two boys were holding hands, staring at the ceiling from the bowling alley floors. Almost an hour had passed, and none of them had said anything… until now. 

“What’s up buttercup?” Stan said with one of his famous Stanley smiles. 

'Oh my god that’s the cutest thing ever this insanely cute curly-haired Bloodwitch loving boy really likes me- like really really likes me a lot this is amazing I think I’m in love- is this what love feels like? I’ve never loved an individual so much I feel so bad for hurting him and he took me back- why did he do that? I’m a horrible person I don’t deserve to be loved'- Jacob’s mind began racing again, the initial high wearing off. “Um, it’s something I heard at school today.” 

Stan felt himself become anxious, he knew Jenny had been talking to Jacob today, and he had no idea what she could’ve said. “Yeah? You can tell me anything, Jake.” 

Maybe it was a problem how blindly Stan trusted him, after everything that's happened. Their relationship was what the cool kids call ‘toxic.’ Jacob; a homicidal individual unable to repress the simplest of fantasies. It was so painfully obvious: Don’t hang out with murders. And yet Stan found himself covering for not one but two teenage killers, and the emotional stress was unbearable. Don’t get me wrong, Stan never liked Brad, but he never wanted him to die. It was a brutal death, one that still haunted him if he closed his eyes too long. 

Stan hadn’t even witnessed the death itself. He was knocked down after being punched in the face. When he’d finally opened his eyes he’d seen blood everywhere. Everyone was screaming, and he’d seen that Syd’s diary had gotten kicked around the room in a stampede of his peers. 

The worst thing about Stanley was that he didn’t have a backbone. He let people walk all over him, pretending to be unbothered, but getting stoned every night to cope. His dad was a dick, his mom wasn’t even there half the time, and his best friend treated him like shit. Deep down he knew Syd didn’t mean to be so hurtful, but her neglect of him and constant insults made it feel like he was talking to his mom each time she spoke. It was unbearable. 

Jacob spoke up again after taking another hit. “Well, this morning Jenny was totally blasted, like absolutely gone when she told me that she thought Syd has powers. Telekinesis to be specific.” 

Stan felt his heart drop to his feet. “Yeah, she must’ve been pretty out of it to think that,” Stan said with a forced laugh. 

“Yeah… she said she found Syd’s diary at the dance. Something about a confession.” 

A confession? Was the murder premeditated- did Syd lie about it being an accident? 

“Oh, I remember now. She said ‘some might call it evidence, but I’m calling it a confession.’ yeah that’s right- I guess Syd said something about having powers in her diary.”  
“Wow that really is something,” Stan said nervously. Jacob was pretty bad at picking up social cues, especially now that he was high, so he didn’t think much of it when Stan decided they needed to leave urgently. 

Stan gave Jacob a brief kiss before dropping him off at his house. Jacob didn’t think anything was off until later that night. 

Stanley crawled through his bedroom window, scrambling to get his phone from his pocket. He called Syd, quickly pondering what Jacob had say. 

“What do you want, Stan?” she finally asked after the third ring. 

“Are you busy?” he practically whispered over the line. 

“Um no, it’s 8:00 on a school night, of course, I’m not fucking busy.” He could hear the temper in her voice, rising like a fever. 

“Well, umm, I actually think we should talk about this in person- but um,” his stammering was pissing her off. 

“Just fucking say it,” she growled. 

“It's Jenny… she has your diary,” Stan said finally. 

Syd stopped cold in her tracks, feeling a sharp pain in her chest. “I’m on my way.” 

“Well well well, guess who finally decided to come home,” Andy joked as Jacob waltzed through their front door, high as a kite. 

“Sorry dad, me and Stan went bowling.” Jacob’s mind finally decided to process the scene in front of him. His dad sat alone on their grey couch, looking passive but also concerned. His mom was nowhere to be seen. He glanced at the floor, which began swaying, so he decided to sit down. 

“Son, I know.” Andy said in his ‘I know what you’re hiding’ lawyer voice that he strictly reserved for the prosecution. Well, in all honesty, Jacob felt like he was being prosecuted right now. 

“You know what?” there were too many fucking answers to that question for either of their likings. 

“I know you like boys, and I just want you to know there’s nothing wrong with that. I’ll love you regardless, ok?” Andy had a gentle smile on his face, a smile so foreign to Jacob’s drug-induced mind that he started laughing. 

“Was it really that obvious?” Inside he was dying of embarrassment, but the drugs helped him keep his cool. 

“Yeah, it kind of was. So, that Stanley boy, is he your boyfriend?” 

“Yep,” he said it with such certainty it almost felt fake. Perhaps an outsider would’ve called his bluff. Either way, he wouldn’t have a boyfriend for much longer. 

Andy smiled widely, embracing his only son in a tight embrace of pure love and acceptance. “He’s one of the good ones,” 

‘But am I?’ Jacob smiled back, “He truly is dad. I think we're gonna get married one day or something. I just love him so much,” all of his repressed emotions were spilling out, and for once Jacob believed he wasn’t a psychopath, but instead just a teenager in love. 

Andy faltered momentarily, never once seeing this side of his son. “Well, I’ll be there when you do. I’ve always wanted you to be happy, Jake. That’s all I’ve ever wanted, you know.” 

“Yeah, I know,” Jacob squeezed his dad tighter, finally reciprocating all of the affection Andy had been giving him for years. 

"Uhm, you smell like weed," Andy said with a small laugh, but it wasn't that funny to the parental side of him. 

"haha yeah, umm that would be Stan's doing-" 

Syd entered Stan’s house, not even bothering to knock. Luckily both of Stan’s parents were neglectful and were currently absent from the Barber household. 

“STANLEY GET THE FUCK IN HERE!” Syd yelled down the basement steps, pacing around the living room as Stan climbed the stairs. “How the FUCK did this happen?” 

Stan took a deep breath before explaining the story. “Well erm, you see, Jacob and I were at the bowling alley smoking and he’s like super high, it was his first time or whatever, well anyway we're laying there talking when he tells me out of nowhere that Jenny has your diary, and that she thinks you did it.” 

“How the fuck is that even possible.” Syd was still yelling, but it wasn’t as extreme. It put Stan on edge, reminding him of his childhood. 

“I dunno Syd, all I know is she has it and she’s talking to people about it. I mean hell, she didn’t even know Jacob and she told him.”

“Well to be fair, she does know Jacob,” Syd tried searching for optimism, but instead struck a gold mine in Stan’s emotions. 

“Yeah, and how does she know him exactly,” Stan was getting irritated too, and the whole conversation was going south pretty quickly. 

“You’re telling me you didn’t hear about them kissing at Ricky’s party? I heard her telling someone in bio, I guess she likes him or something.” 

Stan felt sick to his stomach. Jacob had cheated on him and then choked him out on the back porch all in one night. “I- that’s not possible, he would’ve told me.” 

“Look, it’s not important right now. What’s important is I could fucking rot in jail if that diary ever gets handed over to the police.” 

“Not important? My boyfriend cheated on me and it’s not even worth looking into?” 

Syd rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed. “Listen, Stan, you gotta stop acting like such a bitch. Stop making this about yourself, ok?” 

Stan was in awe, and he felt his cheeks grow redder as tears welled in his eyes. “Just go away Syd, get the fuck out of my house.” 

“Seriously? You’re not even going to try to help me fix this shit?” 

“Just leave!” 

“So marriage, huh. Haven’t you guys only known each other for like a week?” Andy laughed as he pulled away from Jacob; Jacob who easily smiled back, blissfully unaware of the events unfolding at Stan’s. 

Luckily he hadn't pressed Jacob about the weed issue. 

“Sure that’s a valid argument, but you know when you find the right person and you just know they’re the one?” 

Jacob’s innocent words were overridden by the passage Andy had found in Jacob's room many days ago. Stan graphically depicted as Sean, killed and left for dead on the street. How on earth was that ‘meant to be?’

“Oh definitely, when I met your mom I knew she was the one.” 

“I’m not fucking leaving until we make a plan. Remember that burrito bomb shit? Maybe we can somehow get the diary from Jenny without her knowing.” Syd was grasping for straws, refusing to be kicked out by Stanley Fucking Barber of all people. Stanley, the loser stoner who fell in love a little too quickly and got pushed around by just about everybody. He had no fucking right to push her out, not after aimlessly following her around during one of the worst weeks of her life. 

“A fucking burrito bomb isn’t gonna get you out of jail, Syd.” 

“THAT’S NOT WHAT I FUCKING MEANT!!” 

“You,” Stan tried, he really did try to refrain from yelling back, but he just couldn’t take it anymore. “DON’T YOU GET IT? YOU KILLED SOMEONE. YOU FUCKING KILLED SOMEONE AND YOU DON’T EVEN CARE. ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS NOT GETTING CAUGHT.” 

Syd stepped back, the words finally sinking in. “I… I didn't mean to kill him.” 

Stan came out of his rage as quickly as he’d entered it. “I know Syd I’m so sorry-” 

“I never meant to kill anybody. MY DAD never meant to kill anybody. He killed himself from the guilt, and I almost did too! Don’t you realize Stan? I’m a fucking mess! I NEVER wanted to hurt anybody- ever! Brad was just in the way,” she broke down into long sobs, “I NEVER WANTED HIM TO DIE!” 

“Syd I’m so sorry I ever said that-” 

“But Jacob, your precious fucking psycho boyfriend, no, he’s different.” She regained the edge she previously had, not holding back this time after Stan’s outburst. “Jacob killed for pleasure. He took someone’s life so he could get off- don’t you see a difference, Stan? JACOB IS GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU TOO!” 

“No, he’s not-” 

“Yes, he fucking is!” 

“Please no,” Stan backed into the corner, where he’d always hidden when his dad felt particularly angry. “No no no no please- Jacob would never hurt me,” the broken promise escaped his lips, choked sobs leaving quickly after them. 

“Oh really? Then what are those bruises around your neck from?” 

“Get out Syd, please,” he was crying now, shameless as tears and snot streamed down his face. He looked pathetic in Syd’s eyes. 

“We’re getting that journal back whether you want to or not. Now text your boyfriend to come over, because he’s helping us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @sewercircus ... yeah <3


	18. The Truth (part two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the aftermath of Stan and Syd's argument ahahaah help me   
> aka a short lil chapter before shit goes DOWNNN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so umm :) there's def (I forget how to spell definitleyly) going to be more chapters after this dw

Jacob hugged his dad tightly, finally feeling free after all those years in the closet. His dad accepted him for everything he was, from homosexuality to homicide. To be fair though, Andy convinced himself Jacob was innocent. Either way, he turned a blind eye to most of his son’s flaws. Jacob was his boy, and he’d do anything to protect him. 

He pulled away, checking his phone to find a message from Stan; “please come over asap, it’s an emergency.” 

“Hey dad, speaking of Stan can I go over to his house?”

Andy sighed. “Jake, it’s almost midnight. Plus it’s a school night kiddo.” 

“Please? It’s an emergency.” 

“Fine, just let me know if everything's all right.” 

Jacob hugged him again, mimicking the emotions his dad showed him moments ago. “Thank you, dad.” 

“No problem, just don’t make me regret this, ok?” 

“I promise.” 

Jacob made his way across the street, dreading confronting Stan. He would usually be excited to see his boyfriend, but tonight felt different. He knocked on Stan’s basement window before promptly climbing in.

Syd sat on the floor, glaring at Jacob the entire time he climbed in. “Well hello there killer,” she muttered, slamming the window shut with her mind. Jacob turned back, startled by the sudden movement. 

Stan looked terrible, fresh tears still fell down his puffy face. “Syd, please don’t.”

“Stan,” Jacob said carefully before approaching him. “What’s wrong baby?” 

“D-don’t touch me, Jake,” Stan responded quietly, secretively so Syd wouldn’t hear. 

Jacob stepped back again, “Stan what’s wrong.” 

“You.” Stan stammered out. 

“Say it, Stanley. Say what we’re both thinking.” Syd intruded. 

“Fine. Jacob, do you want to kill me? This whole time- have you been tricking me into liking you, into loving you just so I could get close to you? Was this whole thing a joke to you? Is my life a joke to you?” Stan regretted it as soon as he said it, watching Jacob stiffen up into the boy he’d first met; mysterious and cold. 

“Stanley…” Jacob felt his entire world falling apart. It was over. Stan was the only boy who’d ever truly loved him, and now he was too afraid to even have Jacob near him. 

“DON’T STANLEY ME!” 

Jacob felt himself start to cry for the first time in years. “Stan I’m so sorry.” 

Syd watched, contemplating her options. She could kill Jacob, putting down someone who certainly belonged in jail, but what good would that really do. Then she’d be just as bad as him, equals in the eyes of the law. This inner judge jury complex was too much to handle; why was it up to her to make life or death decisions anyway? 

“Jacob,” she started, not knowing what to say. “Just why?” 

“I’m… I’m so sorry Stanley. Somethings wrong with me, something seriously wrong, and I- I don’t know how to fix it.” 

“I thought I could fix you,” Stan whispered, finally coming to terms with the situation. 

“No Stan, it was never your job to fix me. I’m so sorry I ever met you. You deserve so much better than me. 

“Ugh,” he pressed his index fingers to his temple. “It’s not that Jacob. It’s just- I love you, ok? I love you so fucking much and I don’t even care that you want me dead.” 

“Stanley,” he was crying harder now, unfamiliar to such a vulnerable state. Even during his trial, he’d put up walls, never showing how he truly felt about it. “Stanley I don’t want you to die. I love you so much, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to you but there’s this part of me that I can’t explain.” 

“Just say you have a knife kink and move on,” Syd said angrily. 

“It’s more than that- I just feel like I have so little control in my life, always moving around and stuff. Not to mention half the country knows my life story.” he laughed nervously, trying to calm his tears. “My grandpa was a serial killer.” 

“Yeah, well I guess it runs in the family,” Syd said again. 

“Would you quit it?” he sighed, turning back to- “ Stan, I never wanted to hurt you. Sure I thought about it, but after that night at the party I knew you were too much to lose.”

“But Ben, he wasn’t enough. He wasn’t important enough to stay alive I guess.” Stan took after Syd, building up his walls again. 

“Stanley please don’t do this to me.” 

Here came the internal conflict. Jacob was sweet, for the most part. He loved Stan as much as he could, even though he had borderline no emotions. So what he’s kinky? Most kids were, he probably just had some trauma that fucked him up or something. 

“Fine,” he rubbed his temples, trying to come to a viable conclusion. “Just promise me, ok? Promise me you won’t hurt me again.” 

Jacob walked over to Stan, who finally accepted his embrace. “I promise.” 

“Well, that was quite a moment! Touching, really. I guess all that’s left is for you guys is to audition for a hallmark movie.” Syd clapped her hands slowly as she spoke, emphasizing her point. 

None of the boys answered, too wrapped up in each other to be affected by the outside world. 

“Just as long as you guys don’t start making out…” Syd laughed awkwardly, not knowing how to take in the scene in front of her. 

“I love you so much,” Jacob finally let it all out, sobbing into Stan’s arms. 

“Hey so umm, I’m gonna remind you guys that Jenny still has my diary” 

“Right,” Stan breathed out, “call Dina.” 

Syd left the basement, stepping outside onto Stan’s front porch. The porch. Jacob remembered back to when they’d first met, Stan smoking, their brief introduction. Bloodwitch. 

“I’m in love with you, Stan. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Jacob would've normally been stunned by his sudden outburst of emotion, but to be fair he was still a little high, and they’d just finished fighting. 

Stan still had tears running down his cheeks, pink and flushed from all the yelling. Jacob gently rubbed his thumb over Stan’s bottom lip. 

“Kiss me softly,” Stan whispered, almost inaudibly. 

And so he did. He kissed him tenderly on the neck, working his way up to his lips, now soft and red and swollen. 

Stan broke the kiss, grabbing at Jacob’s hair, pulling him close to whisper in his ear. “I love you too.” 

Jacob broke down again, slightly embarrassed to be crying after all that. 

“Shhh it’s ok,” Stan said delicately, trying to reassure Jacob for once. “It’s ok Jake.” 

“Guys!” Syd climbed through Stan’s window, ignoring the fact that both of them were cuddling. “Dina’s on her way over, and umm, we have to kill Jenny.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)))))) yeah


	19. The end, but not really

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I can't even summarize this shit man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWO CHAPTERS IN ONE NIGHT BABYYYY   
> (tw for a lot of things)

2 minutes had passed before Dina was in Stan’s driveway. 

“What do you mean we have to kill Jenny?” Stan turned from his boyfriend, who needed his attention desperately. Jacob had a tiny bit of separation anxiety when it came to Stan. he didn’t know when it happened, maybe after Stan got beat up by his dad, or perhaps it was when he’d choked him but either way, Jacob's wanting to hurt Stan morphed into somewhat of a need to protect him. He knew the world was dangerous, hell, he contributed to that danger but the scariest fact to face was somewhere out there was a person even more dangerous than himself. Stan’s black eye was starting to heal, but it was still very present. Jacob wanted to kiss it better, but Stan had turned away. Talking to Syd. Oh fuck, Dina was on her way. 

“Don’t you get it? Jenny has my diary, she knows the truth about Brad.” 

“Yeah, and? She’s a drunk, Syd. She probably doesn’t even understand what you wrote anyway.” Stan tried his best to bargain for Jenny’s life, but it made no difference. 

“Stan, just-” Syd rubbed her temples, trying to process. She couldn’t kill Jenny, no, not after everything with Brad. Sure, Jenny was a major asshole, but that didn’t mean she deserved to die. She’d spent an entire week in a fucking water tower, trying to cope with what she’d done. Dina was her light, the only reason she’d left. But now Dina was corrupt, and she was in on the whole thing. 

“She’s here,” Stan muttered when he heard a car engine on the street. 

They all went outside to meet her. Jacob was still crying on the floor, so Stanley grabbed his hand and rubbed circles onto his knuckles. “Let’s go, baby.” 

“Hey babe,” Dina smiled when Syd climbed into the front seat. Sure, they were planning a murder, but it was nice to see her girlfriend again. 

“Hey Dina,” she leaned in and kissed her on the lips, trying to find the warmth and comfort she was craving. 

“Guys I don’t know about this…” Stan said finally when the two broke apart. 

“I know Stan. Trust me, I never wanted to resort to this, but I just can’t do this anymore. My life could be ripped away from me at any second... she has evidence that can put me in jail.” 

“So you're just gonna take her life away from her? Just like that?” 

“She threw her life away the moment she decided to fuck sobriety. Besides, she got with my then-boyfriend. I honestly don’t see what the big deal is.” Dina said matter of factly. 

Syd recoiled to the window, momentarily stunned. Stan and Jacob sat there, shocked, searching for a response. 

Dina broke the silence. “What? Two of you have killed people and you’re looking at me like I’m the crazy one.”

“Dina…” Syd started, but Dina cut her off. 

“No Sydney. If I’m throwing my future away I want to justify to myself that it’s worth it.” 

“Dina it isn’t worth it.” Stan interrupted. “Killing someone is never the solution guys! Come on!” 

“I’ll do it,” Jacob said suddenly. “I have a knife in my room. I’ll do it and it’ll all be over with.” 

“Hang on there bud,” Syd started. “It’ll easily be traced back to you. Look, I know I’ve been a major bitch to you, but I don’t wanna see you go to jail or anything. You killed what’s his face with a knife and you magically show up here, so yeah, they’ll know it’s you.” 

“She’s right you know,” said Stan. “I watch enough true crime and criminal minds with my mom to know what an M.O. is.” 

“Fine, then I’ll kill her with something else,” he tried, but he knew it was no use. A sexual sadist connected their fetish to their weapon, often an extension of themselves. Jacob couldn’t hurt anybody without his knife. Well, besides choking Stan, but that was a different story. He didn’t want to kill Stan per se, not at that moment anyway. It’s not like he could deny the homicidal tendencies he’d first experienced. 

It's my own fault that I tied the noose  
'Cause I cannot love what I want to abuse

He couldn’t avoid it any longer. Sure, he was getting better, but the wanting to kill was still there. He knew he couldn’t take it out on Stan, no. Never again. Stan would eventually wise up and leave him, and that kind of stressor would send him over the edge. Jenny was the perfect solution, quick and simple. 

“No. Jacob, this is crossing the line. Why don’t we just steal back the diary and be done with it all? It’s not like Jenny is actually a believable witness.” Stanley tried again. 

“No. She has to die, it's the only way.” Dina said again. 

“But-” Stan started, but Jacob cut him off. 

“Stan, Jenny assaulted me at the party. I- I didn’t want to tell you because of everything I did to you at the party but- I just can’t hold it in anymore. She kissed me. I said no but she kissed me anyways- she started to feel me up and-” 

“Oh Jacob,” Stan leaned over, bringing Jacob’s head down into his lap where he started crying again. He played with his hair, feeling how silky it really was. “Let’s go to Jenny’s,” he said suddenly. 

“Right now?” asked Dina. “who’s gonna kill her?” 

“I will. I swear to god, she’s fucking gone.” 

“Stan,” Syd started to say. Stan was one of her best friends, and he wasn’t innocent, that’s for sure, but in a way he was wholesome. He’d faced so much shit in his life and always managed to come up with a better person. There was no recovering from murdering someone, both Syd and Jacob knew that much. She had to do it just this once, finally protect him after all the times he’d protected her. “I’ll do it, ok? Jenny is my problem, at least now we know her lack of existence will better all of humanity and not just me.” 

“Do you want a weapon or something?” Dina asked, too desensitized to murder now to even process what she was saying. 

“No, I’ll be fine with my mind.” 

The car ride to Jenny’s house was silent. Jacob laid in Stan’s lap, finally calm again. Stan tried to reassure him that it was ok, that he didn’t cheat, and that he’d said no, but Jacob was borderline delusional. It seemed physical touch was the best way to get through to him. 

“How do you know where Jenny lives anyway?” Syd asked Dina curiously. 

“I’ve picked Brad up from here before. I know, I probably should’ve seen a red flag but at the time I was so stupid and naive-” 

“It’s ok Dina.” 

They pulled up, and Syd went to leave the car first. “Wait,” Jacob mumbled. 

“What is it?” she’d managed to say in the nicest voice she could. Usually, she hated Jacob, but tonight was an exception. “I’ll do it. Let me do it, Syd, it’s not worth it for your mental health. Just get the car ready, park down the road. I’ll meet you guys there, ok? Get me the fuck out of here when I’m done.” 

“If you say so,” Syd responded, relieved to get off the hook. 

“I love you, it’s ok,” Stan added, kissing Jacob a quick kiss goodbye.

“What do we do with the body?” Dina asked. 

They thought for a moment. “We can dump it over the bridge, into the canal. It’ll be a few days before she’s found.” Jacob said finally. He wiped away his last tear and pulled a knife out of his sock. 

“What are you gonna use to kill her- on my god where did you get that knife? I thought you said it was in your room???” Stan asked with genuine concern. 

“It’s my backup knife, and despite everything, I’m not gonna use it to kill her. Just trust me guys, it’ll all be fine.” 

“Ok, I’m parking across the street. A dead body would be heavy.” Dina replied. 

“Good luck,” Syd said weakly. 

“Thanks.” 

Jacob climbed the stairways to Jenny’s apartment, putting on a pair of Dina’s gloves on the way up. The only way this could work was if there were no fingerprints, he’d learned that the hard way. Jenny lived alone with her mom, and her mom’s boyfriend occasionally stayed over. Luckily tonight they were out drinking, which meant Jenny was home alone. 

He rang the doorbell, and Jenny answered a few moments later. 

“Jacob, what are you doing here?” She asked, surprised to see her new object of affection seeking her out. 

“I’m here for you, Jen. I really like you,” He stammered. Flirting in general was difficult for him, but flirting with women was even worse. 

“Oh really? Wanna come in for a drink?” She was already tipsy, but she was always down for a drink. 

“Of course,” he said sweetly. 

She closed the door, and Stan watched anxiously from the car. This was a terrible idea. Jacob had trauma with Jenny, and he left him alone with her. It made him sick, thinking about the hypothetical situation. Maybe Jenny would overpower him and oh god- no that would never happen. Jacob had a knife, he could protect himself. He would be fine. 

“So, finally come to your senses and realize what a hot bitch I am? Was Stanley not enough for you?” 

Jacob gulped. He felt very uncomfortable, and Jenny was already slinging the top of her shirt over her shoulder. Exposing her clavicle. That’s what Jacob would go for. 

“Here,” she handed him a shot of hard vodka, ignoring his body language. 

“Erm, I guess.” fuck. That didn’t sound sexy at all. “You know Stan could never compare to you.” 

“I knew I could turn you straight,” Jenny teased. Jacob cringed internally. 

“Right,” he drank the shot in one sip, it burned his throat more than he thought it would. 

“I’m tired of this,” Jacob said suddenly. “Get on your knees.” 

Jenny smirked, surprised at Jacob's dominance. She obliged, and Jacob looked down at her, contemplating his options. 

“Do you have any rope?” he asked quickly before he could regret it. 

“In my closet, the condoms are in the drawer too.” 

Jacob went to her room, which was on the same floor as the kitchen. “Oh and Jacob, don’t hold back. Greenlight, ok.”

“I’ll tell you when enough is enough slut.” 

Jenny moaned, and Jacob practically ran into her room. Now, to find the diary. Her room had purple walls and princess bed sheets. Ironic. 

The diary was in plain sight, spilling out of her open backpack. He picked it up, holding it in the same hand as his knife. He grabbed the black rope from her closet and quickly left before things looked suspicious. 

Jenny was still on her knees, and she had a wild look in her eyes. Jacob tied her hands together, and then her feet. Luckily his dad had taught him all about tying knots on their countless fishing trips. No, he couldn’t think about him right now, how disappointed he’d be. 

“Kiss me,” she stammered. 

“No.” he pulled the knife from his sleeve, tossing the diary across the floor. 

“What?” she started, confused by his sudden change of heart. 

“I said no, and you’re gonna do whatever I say or else I’m gonna cut your face off bitch.” 

“Is this part of the roleplay, because if so, red light Jacob…” 

Jacob sighed, taking in Jenny’s scared impression. This was the first time he’d felt remotely turned on since he’d arrived. “This is about you, and Syd’s diary.” 

“Shit, you mean she-” 

“Yes.” 

“But-but why?” 

“She didn’t mean to. But now you know too much so, you have to die.” 

Jenny started crying, pleading for her life as Jacob approached her with the knife. His little friend. “Jacob, please! I swear I won’t tell anyone!” 

“Fine, then write a note.” 

“What?” 

“Write a note saying you went on a walk around Brownsville. Tell her you want to run away to live with your prison boyfriend or whatever the fuck you want to say. I’ll take you out of here, and you can start over somewhere, but not here. Not this close to the investigation.” 

She considered it for a moment, then nodded. “Fine, I’ll do it.” 

“Good girl,” He untied one of her hands from her feet, handing her a pen and paper from the kitchen. 

Dear mom,   
I went for a walk. I just want to clear my head. I can’t stay here anymore. Brad is dead, and I’m not doing well. I want to live with Jonathan, I met him in juvie, and I really love him. I’ll keep in touch, so don’t worry. I love you,

-Jenny

“There, is that good enough?” 

“Yes,” Jacob placed the note on the table. “You did good, Jenny. But good isn’t good enough.” he kicked her, hard in the clavicle. Her collar bones were naturally protruding, and easy to break. She screamed in pain before Jacob kicked her again. 

“Goodbye Jenny.” He kicked her in the face this time, his converse shoes providing little support in the act of brutality. “Fractured orbital” he could almost hear the poor mortician say. 

“Jacob please!” he pulled the knife out this time before Stan’s words flashed through his head. “You have an M.O.” Well, maybe in stabbing, but not quite slashing. Dina’s words, “a body would be heavy to carry to the car.” 

The idea struck him right then and there. “Let’s go, Jenny.” he dragged her off the flood, holding the knife to her neck. He untied her and dragged her to Dina’s car, who was freaking out by the time he’d shoved Jenny into the back seat. 

“JACOB WHAT THE FUCK THIS WASN’T THE PLAN!!!” she practically screamed. 

“Shut up and drive, Dina!” 

“Holy shit this is kidnapping,” Stan mumbled, taking in Jenny’s appearance. Her shoulder looked deformed, or more accurately mutilated, and her face looked worse. 

“Stan, hold her still.” Jacob climbed into the car next, and Dina hit the gas. 

“Drive to the canal,” Syd said calmly, “and I got this guys.” Syd concentrated on keeping Jenny still, and she was. 

“What the fuckkkk,” Jenny mumbled. 

“Woahhh real mind control!!” Jacob said excitedly, almost forgetting their current situation. 

“It’s telekinesis you dumbass.” 

Dina pulled over on the bridge, and thankfully there was little traffic. It was around 2 in the morning after all. 

Jacob and Syd pulled Jenny out of the car. 

“What are you-” Syd started, but before she knew it Jacob was slashing Jenny’s throat. “JACOB WHAT THE THE FUCK WE’RE THIS CLOSE TO THE WATER!!” 

He didn’t respond, mesmerized by the blood sputtering from the wound. It was deep, practiced, and confident. Jenny made gurgling sounds as she gasped for air, grabbing at her gaping neck.   
Syd lifted Jenny into the air, using her powers to throw her over the bridge. She collapsed, and Jacob helped her back into the car. He tossed the knife over the bridge and practically flew into the back seat again. 

“Holy shit-” Stan muttered. 

Dina floored it again, driving them back to Stan’s house where it all began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unbelievable


	20. More Police Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the police find Jenny's body :))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooo there's more to this story?? Like a lot more?? wack. I never imagined this fic would come this far but I'm so glad it has. LIKE 20 CHAPTERS OF THIS??? w a ck. 
> 
> also this is a tad bit late but merry Christmas everyone!!! Thanks for sticking around !! I love you all sm<33

“Geez, another body?” The officer’s voice boomed through the chilly morning air. 

“Goddamned,” Andy muttered, examining the corpse. Jenny’s body was found a few hours after her death; bloated and mutilated in the small Brownsville canal. A very unlucky five-year-old had gone swimming, and Jenny had been swimming too. Poor Charlie was still crying by the time the police had arrived, Andy riding along with them. Brownsville was a small town, and Andy was a big city lawyer. He didn’t have much experience in the field, but they needed all the help they could get. 

“Dave, look at this-” an officer pointed at Jenny’s throat, which very clearly had been slashed. 

Dave gagged. “My lord,” he proceeded to do the catholic cross over himself. “Who could do something like this?” 

Andy had a pretty good idea, and he didn’t like it one bit. “Do you think it was that Syd girl?” better get the blame off Jacob before things got bad. He’d have to talk to Laurie about moving again soon, god it hadn't been a month yet. 

Dave had been Syd’s interviewer. “It's quite possible; maybe we should call in a therapist or something…” 

“If things go well hopefully she can find one from jail.” another officer boasted. 

“Alright guys, let’s cut the shit and call in the mortician.” 

Poor Pam hadn’t recovered from Brad’s strange death. Many already questioned her ability to work, considering telekinesis was not a very accepted “cause of death.” Thankfully this would be easier- hopefully. 

“As if this town hasn’t been through enough…” Dave started again after staring at Jenny some more. “Was there any identification?” 

“I’m afraid not,” Andy replied. 

“Hey wait, I’ve seen that girl,” a third officer said finally. He’d been quiet for the most part, digging through his brain. 

“Was she a prostitute? Looks like she’s in lingerie.” 

“No, no nothing like that. If my gut is right that’s Jenny Tuffield; she’s a senior. I knew I’d seen her before, from working shifts at the school. I gave her a breathalyzer test last Tuesday, came to school blackout drunk.” 

“Wait, Jenny Tuffield?” Andy racked his brain, trying to remember the name. “Wasn’t that the girl who dated Brad Lewis?” 

“No, that was that Dina girl-” 

“No no, Brad cheated on Dina with Jenny. I swear I know that name.” Andy said again. 

“Alright well, let’s call her parents and confirm it.” 

A few minutes passed before Mrs. Tuffield picked up the phone, a groggy “hello,” breaking the silence. 

“Good morning Mrs. Tuffield, this is Dave Anderson from the Brownsville police station. We have a few questions we’d like to ask you in regards to your daughter, Jenny.” 

“Jenny? What’s this about?” 

“We’d like to talk to you in person if that’s alright,” Dave replied quickly. 

“Who’s ‘we’?” 

Jenny’s mom had desperately tried to sober up before the police arrived at her small apartment, but it was no use. They decided as a group that it would be beneficial to bring her down to the station, and have a little look around the house in case any evidence was left behind… and boy was there evidence. 

“Look over here,” it’s a note from Jenny! “Dear mom, I went for a walk. I just want to clear my head. I can’t stay here anymore. Brad is dead, and I’m not doing well. I want to live with Jonathan, I met him in juvie, and I really love him. I’ll keep in touch, so don’t worry. I love you, Jenny.” 

“Interesting,” Andy muttered, glancing around the room again. There were obvious signs of s struggle; knocked over chairs, even what appeared to be a little blood on the floor. But, what appeared to be a struggle could also just be the effects of alcohol; Jenny’s mom stumbling around for more beer, accidentally knocking over a few things in the process. “Is that blood?” Andy asked finally, pointing to a small splotch on the floor. 

“Let’s swab it,” an officer replied. 

“We should probably mark this off as a crime scene too; let’s get forensics in here-” Dave added. 

“Is her mom at the station yet?” 

“Yeah, let’s go in for questioning while this all gets sorted out,” Andy said finally. “Oh, and how bad is Jenny’s face? Should we ask the mom to identify her?” 

“No no, it was pretty fucked up,” said a younger officer. “We should probably just wait for the DNA results.” 

“Zach!!” Dave exclaimed, glaring at the younger officer. “We do NOT say those things about the victims.” 

“Right, erm- sorry sir.” 

Andy rolled his eyes, drowning them out. There was no way the note was real, but just in case they should take the boyfriend in for questioning. For now, there were bigger questions to ponder; how were the deaths of Jenny Tuffield and Brad Lewis connected? Was Sydney Novak responsible, or was his son, Jacob, responsible this time. Logically he knew that Jacob wouldn’t have anything to do with Brad’s death, but damn he should’ve known better than to bring him into the town of a recent murder. The trauma; Andy had no idea if a recent grieving town had triggered some sort of PTSD reaction in Jacob, triggering one of two things. The first being a depressive state, reminded of his past failures, and the second being a wound reopened, a desire to kill sparked again after all those years. Andy was leaning towards the latter. Jacob was involved with both Syd and Stan, two people who were very connected to Brad’s death. All he knew was bringing Jacob here was a big mistake. He didn’t have his big-city connections in little Brownsville. If Jacob was arrested it was the end of the line, for all he knew he could be jailed for eternity, spending the rest of his life rotting in prison, just like his dad- 

“Mr. Barber?” 

“Oh, sorry what was that?” He blinked twice, drawn back to reality. 

“We were asking about your son, Jacob.” 

He felt his heart sink. “What about him?” 

“Well, we know about the trial for one. Our psychologist has looked into it and we have a plan of action so to speak.” 

“Which is?”

“We want Jacob to talk to Syd. One to one. Both of them have this shared trauma of being involved in a police investigation, a murder investigation at that. If Jacob can pry a confession then we’re good to go.” 

Andy thought again, remembering all that’s happened since their short move to Brownsville. Hadn’t he asked Jacob to get information on Syd before? What exactly had he said… 

“That could work,” Andy said finally. “Just- remember, we’re dealing with a teenager here. My boy. If Jacob agrees to this then I want him excluded from the rest of the investigation. His compliance proves his innocence, correct?” 

“Sure man. The last thing we want is another kid ruined by all of this. Besides, we know Jacob wasn’t even here for Brad’s murder. You have my word, ok?” David Anderson shook his hand, and Andy knew it was a done deal. His investigation into Jacob would be a private one. 

“Thank you, Dave, thanks for everything. Oh, and you can call me Andy.” 

Dave smiled. “Alright then Andy, let’s go down to the station and have a word with Mrs. Tuffield.” 

The ride there was short and quiet. Andy texted Jacob, pleading with God that he would answer. 

Andy: Jake please answer my texts. Where are you? 

Jacob: I’m at Stan’s. What’s wrong? 

Andy: they found a body. They think it’s one of your classmates. 

“Stan, Stan wake up!” Jacob shook Stan awake, and he grunted in response. 

Jacob: Do you know who it was? 

Andy: We have an idea but we have to wait for DNA results. 

Jacob: I’m sorry to hear that. 

Andy: me too, now let’s cut to the chase. I want you home, now. Is anyone else at Stan’s? 

“STAN WAKE UP!!!” Jacob practically yelled. 

“What is it?” 

Syd and Dina woke up too, hearing the commotion. Last night they laid low; cleaned the blood out of Dina’s car, showered, and went to bed. It was 7:30 by the time they’d finally gone to sleep, and it was 9:45 now. Jacob knew two hours of sleep was not enough to trick his lawyer dad, not nearly enough. But he had to try nonetheless. 

Jacob: no. Just Stan. 

"my dad says they found Jenny's body," Jacob said gloomily. 

Dina gasped, and Syd sighed in reponse. "I didn't think they'd find it that quickly. We estimated at least a few days..."

"I know. It's pretty bad, but at they have a trail to follow." Jacob told them about the note while they cleaned up last night. Syd was the angriest, mad that Jacob had taken over the situation. The power dynamic was there, and Syd hated tension. 

“oh and listen, guys, I told my dad that it was just me and Stan last night.” 

even. more. tension. “Umm, why the fuck would you do that? We planned to say we were together the whole time-” Syd started. 

“Because Sydney, it would look very suspicious if we spent the entire night together.” 

“But Dina’s car, what if someone saw it?” Stan asked worriedly, ignoring the fact that Jacob had used Syd's full name. 

“I thought about it, and it’s dark enough to not draw suspicion that late at night. I honestly don’t think anyone saw anything last night.” 

“Listen dipshit,” Syd responded, eager to let her anger out on Jacob. “Your dad lives like two houses down, correct? I’m like 90% sure he saw Dina’s car this morning.” 

“That’s exactly what I thought last night, so I moved it into the garage,” Jacob said proudly. “Oh and Dina, sorry if it’s scratched or anything, I’m like remarkably bad at driving.” 

“Ok genius, that was at 7:30 this morning. Who says your dad wouldn’t have seen it before then? Or better yet, ANYONE ELSE ON YOUR STREET??” 

“You see I thought of that too. We all know that Stan’s a dealer, and most of his neighbors have probably seen strange vehicles around here from time to time. Not to mention his mom dropping in and out of here. Any vehicle wouldn’t look suspicious.” 

“But what if it does? What do I say if anyone asks?” Stan asked. 

“I suppose if anyone asks just say you don’t know. That we were asleep, that it was probably your parents. Remember; deny, deny, deny.” 

“Alright,” Stan muttered. 

“Well, what about me and Dina? Where do we say we were in all of this? 

“I have an idea,” Dina said suddenly. “My parents were out of town last night, visiting my grandma. That’s why they wanted me to go somewhere.” 

“Ok so we tell the cops we were at Dina’s all night,” Syd said suddenly. 

“Good. Just remember, only tell them if they ask. Don’t randomly spout things about your innocence. It’ll make you look more guilty.” 

“Right. Well, I guess this is goodbye then.” Dina answered. 

They waved goodbye, and Syd drove with Dina over to her house, avoiding the main roads. 

Andy: ok good. Please be at the house when I get home. Probably around 12. I don’t care if Stan comes over too, I just want you guys with your mom. 

Jacob: ok dad. I love you 

Andy felt a little bit of stress leave him. 

Andy: I love you too :) 

They arrived at the station, passing Dina’s car on the way without realizing it. Jenny’s mom was waiting for an interview, chewing nervously on her fingernails. “She failed a breathalyzer test, we’re waiting for her to sober up.” 

"like mother like daughter," two officers joked. 

“Alright,” Andy responded, ignoring the other officers. “Did she say anything yet?” 

“Yeah, she just keeps asking for Jenny. It’s a terrible thing really, but we can’t do anything while she’s drunk. Can’t use it as evidence, ya know?” 

It was insulting to think Andy didn’t know what could be used as evidence. “Of course. We’ll give it an hour or two. Oh, and find the boyfriend.” 

“Right away sir,” said Zach. 

“Sir?” another officer came in, looking for Dave but answering Andy. 

“Yes?”

“We got the DNA results. It's confirmed to be Jenny Tuffield's.” 

Andy sighed. “This is officially a homicide investigation then. We’ll tell her mom when she’s sober. She has a right to know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahaha I'm trying to decide if I should write a million more chapters or cut this story off before it spirals again lmao 


	21. Oh shit it's angsty again-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> uh oh- things aren't going too well for our favorite gays :((

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys!!! I'm back again with more of this bullshit.  
> Side note! stream No Offerings by The Aubreys & Lunar Vacation bc it heavily influenced this chapter... 
> 
> alsotwbecausethisisemotionallyalotokenjoy
> 
> also I stayed up past my bed time to write this,,, you're welcome

“Jacob… what happened?” Laurie asked urgently as Jacob and Stan busted through the front door. 

Jacob tried to hide his annoyance. “There’s been another murder. Dad wanted me home.” 

“Oh dear god.” 

Stanley raised his eyebrow at this but didn’t think anything of it. He was too tired to think. 

Laurie brewed a coffee, and they sat in silence. Jacob turned on the tv, and they fell asleep again watching the news. 

‘Body of a teenage girl was discovered early this morning. Cause of death has not been determined but deep laceration was reported on the neck.’ 

Laurie walked into the living room, coffee in hand, watching the two boys carefully. Stan had his head on Jacob’s shoulder, and he slept peacefully. Was Jacob gay? That would make sense. The boy he 'probably’ killed way back in Massachusetts was in fact a boy. God, that must’ve been four years ago. 

She sat down, stirring her coffee, turning up the tv to hear it better. 

Community members were being interviewed. “I’m Brad and Jenny’s biology teacher, Mr. File. Well, er- was. It’s a terrible tragedy, really.” 

The reported retorted, “well there you have it, folks.” 

Laurie rolled her eyes, eventually changing the channel. 

“Local teen dies the same day as previous victim’s funeral. Is a serial killer at large?” 

“Oh my,” Laurie said quietly to herself. She’d forgotten all about Brad’s funeral. I mean, it’s not like she knew the family anyway.

Jacob listened carefully. He was pretending to sleep, so he wouldn’t have to deal with his mom’s questions. This was serious shit, though. Why didn’t Dina tell them about Brad’s funeral before? 

He created a group chat, texting first. Luckily Laurie was still glued to the tv.

Jacob: Is Brad’s funeral today???

Dina: Oh fuck. Yeah it is

Jacob: are we going 

Syd: I guess we have to.  
Syd: Stan??

Jacob: He’s asleep. 

Dina: aweeeee young love :)) 

Syd: … really… 

Jacob: It wasn’t even like that!! 

Dina: sure bud. 

Jacob: I mean we are dating- 

Syd: Just. ugh Dina can you take us? 

Dina: Sure, I’ll pick you guys up around 12 ish. I think that’s when it starts 

Jacob: thank you!! 

Dina: :)) 

Jacob heard his dad’s car roll up in the driveway, and pretended to sleep again. 

“Hey guys,” Andy said softly when he walked in the door. 

“Hey, dad.” 

“Is Stan awake?”

“I don’t think so.” 

“Ok,” Andy sighed, sitting down in front of them. Laurie was silent, watching carefully. “I'm just gonna come right out and ask- did you do it?” 

All eyes were on him. Jacob felt his heart racing, and he looked back and forth between them. “Um no- I didn’t even know this girl.” 

Andy let his composure collapse a little, relieved to hear what he wanted to know. “It’s ok son. I’m sorry I had to ask.” 

“I’m just glad you believe me.” Sure he felt a little bad for lying, but it wasn’t like he could come clean to him either. 

“Of course.” Andy hugged his son tightly, happy that he was safe. “I love you, Jake.” 

“I love you too dad.” 

They broke apart, and Andy looked downwards, guilty for the question he was about to ask. Laurie recognized the body language and braced herself. “So, there’s something I have to ask you…” 

“Yeah?” 

“Well, you see- the police want you to work with Sydney Novak. Get close to her. Set up meetings; have them listen in. They think she’s responsible for Brad’s death, and possibly a lead in Jenny’s. I know it’s dangerous, but this might be our only chance.” 

Jacob sat, stunned. 

“It’s just- you’ve both been questioned by police, so they think you might be able to connect. Plus if you’re cooperating with police they won’t suspect you of anything. Let’s face it, Jake, you could be a suspect if the town gets riled up.” 

“Right…” 

Stan listened in, following after his boyfriend by pretending to sleep. How could they do this to Syd? Frame her for a murder Jacob committed? Man who was he kidding… they all were involved. Dina was the getaway driver for goodness sakes. Was this a good idea? Dating a ‘serial killer?’ Could he even be considered that? Stan thought back to all the true crime he used to watch… the terminology rang through his head. ‘Sadist’ ‘psychopath’ ‘manipulator.’ Stan wasn’t stupid, he knew deep down that Jacob was manipulating him, but still. He loved him. He loved him so fucking much that it hurt. Hurt more than his dad hitting him, or Syd using him. It hurt so bad that he wanted to cry. God, when did life get so complicated? One minute he was working his way up to manager at the bowling alley… growing his “business” and preparing to ditch this shit hole for college. Now he was covering up for a homicide, and he’d slept with two murderers. Shit- he was zoning out- 

“I don’t know dad. Syd is my friend.” 

Andy looked surprised, then excited. “Well has she said anything about Jenny? Or Brad?” 

“Well-” 

“Tell the truth, Jacob,” Laurie started to say. 

“Er,” 

“For god's sake,'' Laurie said more sternly. “For once in your goddamned life just tell the truth!” 

“Laurie!” Andy practically shouted. They stared at each other for a moment before Andy looked away. “I think maybe you should go.” 

“Fine. I didn’t want to hear him anyway.” 

“No Laurie.. I think you should go.” 

“You really wanna do this here Andrew? Fine. We both knew this marriage was falling apart.” 

“Yeah, and who’s fault was that?” 

“Yours! You refuse to accept that our son is a killer!” 

Andy laughed, and Stan ‘woke up,’ squeezing Jacob’s hand tightly. “You’re one to talk Laurie. You really are.” 

“Yeah? And what’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Oh you know damn well what I’m talking about, or did you magically forget the attempted murder? You know, crashing the car? Putting him in a coma?”

Stanley opened his eyes widely, staring at Jacob in disbelief. Had he really been in a coma? 

Laurie stayed quiet, glaring so harshly that Jacob thought she might start crying. 

“You know what Laurie, I always thought it was me. I thought I was the one with the shitty genetics, who made him this way. But you know what? Out of the two of us, you’re the only one who’s attempted murder! Maybe that’s saying something!” Andy broke down now, and Jacob realized he hadn’t seen his dad cry in years. “You tried to kill our son! My little boy!” 

“So you’re admitting something's wrong with him.” she started again after a brief pause. 

“What?” 

“You’re admitting that he’s messed up! Please, Andy, I can’t keep doing this anymore! For god’s sake, we sleep with a taser in our room!” 

“Wait,” Jacob interjected; “dad is that true?” 

“No no, your mom sleeps with one. Not me.” 

“Oh give it up. You can’t keep playing on both sides. One of these days you’re gonna realize that you made a mistake. How many more people will he kill before you admit that?” 

“Dad-” 

“Your pride will be the death of us all.” 

“Well,” Stanley said after everyone was done yelling. “Brad’s funeral starts pretty soon and I think we should all take a break and get ready.” 

Andy turned to him, noticing the brownish yellowish ring over his eye. Truthfully he'd forgotten he was there. “Hey umm, I’m sorry you had to hear all that…what happened to your eye there bud?” 

“Oh, it’s nothing really.” 

Andy might’ve been upset, but that didn’t mean his judgment was clouded. He was a lawyer, and a damned good one at that. He could recognize the signs of child abuse. 

“You sure? I can talk to you later if you want.” 

“Erm, it’s ok.” 

“Come on dad, stop harassing my boyfriend.” 

Just like that, it was back to ‘normal.’ Andy was proud Jacob had acknowledged his relationship with Stan, especially in front of Laurie. 

“Oh, and my friend Dina said she could take me and Stan. I don’t think you guys wanna go anyways.” 

“It’s alright, but I’ll probably be there. Could be some stuff for the case, ya know?” 

“Right.” 

“Oh and Jacob, I’d like it if you rode with me to the service instead, there are a few more things I wanna talk to you about.” 

Jacob exchanged a nervous glance with Stanley. “Sure thing dad, let me get ready real quick.” 

He grabbed Stanley by the hand, leading him up the stairs and into his bedroom. Stanley borrowed a suit from Jacob, deciding his usual baby blue wasn’t quite fit for the occasion. They got dressed in silence, and Stan found himself remembering not so long ago; decorating his room, climbing through his window, thrift shopping. It felt like a daydream; the short-lived honeymoon phase of an even shorter relationship.

Then Jacob was grabbing his hands, kissing his knuckles. “I’m so sorry Stan, for involving you in all this.” 

Stan immediately felt guilty for his previous doubts. “Hey it’s ok baby, I love you ok? Never forget it.”

Jacob was smiling now, a rare smile that Stan hadn’t seen in a while. Maybe he was in love, even if it was with a criminal.

“I’m sorry about your mom.” 

Jacob laughed shortly, “yeah, that kinda sucked.” 

“I’d imagine.” 

“It’s ok though, they played me Brittney Spears while I was in comatose.” 

Stan laughed, “wait- really?” 

“Uh-huh. All I remember is hearing my dad cry, and Brittney in the background. Those were strange times.” 

“Oh my god!” 

Dina pulled up, and Stan kissed Jacob goodbye before leaving with her. He debated telling them about Jacob; Andy’s plan to investigate Syd, but he decided against it. 

Andy rode with Jacob, silently for a while until he found the courage to speak. “Hey buddy.” 

“Dad.” 

“I didn’t want to do this. Freak you out I mean.” 

Jacob looked over at him, confused. “What do you mean?” 

“Well the last time your mom asked you this, she wrecked the car.” 

Jacob felt his breathing hitch, remembering that moment for the third time today. “Just ask me.” 

Andy sighed, then looked at Jacob directly in the eyes. They were at a red light. “Did you kill Jenny Tuffield?” The light flickered. Jacob cleared his throat. 

“Yes.” 

Andy drove again once the light turned green, processing his son’s confession. Finally, he asked, “why?”

“Dad, I didn’t tell you this, but Jenny assaulted me at a party. Nothing serious, but it left me shook up. Syd, Dina, and Stan were in on it too. They all hated her. She got with Brad when he was still with Dina. She stole Syd’s diary. She-” 

“I’ve heard enough.” They parked at the graveyard, watching the crowd from a distance. Andy looked back to his son, tears forming in his eyes. “I still love you Jake, but you have to know deep down that this isn’t right.” 

Jacob felt tears swelling to his eyes too; ashamed by his behavior. “I know dad. I’m so sorry.” 

“Are you really? How am I supposed to believe you? I- I trusted you!” He broke down even more, finally breaking their eye contact. “I defended you!” 

“I know, but I was just a kid-” 

“Well, you’re not anymore. You managed to make the same mistake twice.” 

“I know.” Jacob bit at his lip, drawing blood, tasting the metallic sting as he dealt with what he’d done. 

“We have to move,” Andy said plainly. 

“What?” 

“Maybe Canada or something. But not now- no that would look too suspicious. But then again, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to flee a town experiencing serial homicide…” He thought out loud, and Jacob saw his whole life crumble. 

“Wait dad please- we can talk about this!” 

“Fine. Just answer one question- Brad. Was it Syd?” 

“Yes.” 

Andy felt a little relief there. “But how?” 

“It’s hard to explain, but she has this telekinesis thing-” 

“Don’t bullshit me, kid. This is serious stuff.” 

“I’m not! I swear, watch the footage. It all makes sense.” 

“Whatever you say.” Andy didn’t know why he was even entertaining the thought, but deep down Syd having some sort of superpowers made sense. “Well, I can’t work the case anymore… not after all this.” 

“But-” 

“Yeah yeah. You need someone to cover for you. Trust me when I say that nobody suspects you.” 

“But what about-” 

“It’s alright Jacob. I’ll- I’ll handle it. Let’s just get through this funeral and see from there.” 

“Ok, dad.” 

“And Jacob,” Andy started, finally looking back at him. “I know this is uncomfortable, but you need to tell me when you have these- urges. It’s not ‘normal,’ but I’ve been in this field long enough to know that once you start killing, you can’t stop. Please, if you ever feel like you need to kill someone again, please just talk to me. I love you son. I don’t want to see you taken away to some mental hospital, or even worse- death row. Please.” 

Jacob nodded, surprised at how easily his dad understood him. “I promise.” 

They hugged, and Andy finally stopped crying. “I’ll take care of this- I swear. I’ll take care of you.” 

They walked to the others and listened quietly as Brad’s football coach gave a eulogy. 

“He was a real team player, you know? Lot’s of potential. He was taken off the field far too early, yes this is true, but that don’t mean he didn’t try his damn hardest when he was playing. He was a true fighter, an inspiration to all.” 

Brad’s mom was violently crying, and Syd looked away shamefully.

‘Some things are too terrible to grasp at once. Other things-- naked, sputtering, indelible in their horror-- are too terrible to really ever grasp at all.’ 

Stan found himself thinking back to Donna Tartt, and a book he had read during his murder mystery phase. The irony of their situation in regards to “The Secret History” was quite commercial. And “The Secret History” to “The Great Gatsby,” and that to “Romeo and Juliet.” The very idea of love with tragedy, hand in hand, repeating its way through history was enough to make him gag. If that were true, and if history was truly repeating itself, Stan realized that he was on the wrong side of it. 

“Let’s go,” Stan whispered to Jacob, pulling him away from the scene. Neither Syd nor Dina seemed to notice; too horrified by Brad’s mom to look away. 

“There’s something important I have to tell you,” Jacob whispered back, and Stan knew deep down that their tragedy was just beginning. 

They walked hand in hand to a nearby tree and sat beneath it. Nobody noticed at all, for similar reasons to their friends. 

“I just couldn’t take that anymore,” Stan admitted, still holding Jacob’s hand for the millionth time. 

“Me too. I can’t imagine how Syd feels.” 

“So what did you want to tell me?” 

Jacob took a deep breath, “I talked to my dad. Stan, he-” 

“What are you two doing over here?” The voice came from a tall man, pierced and tattooed, noticeably distraught. He wore a leather jacket similar to Jenny’s, and he too reeked of booze. Jacob figured they could be long lost siblings. 

“Nothing, now fuck off,” Stan said sternly. 

“Are you Jacob Barber?” The man asked suddenly, like an automated NPC who’d just now remembered their line. 

The two looked at each other. “Uh yes? How do you know me?” 

The man cracked his knuckles in a comedic fashion. “Jenny told me alllll about you.” He slurred his speech dramatically, probably without realization. 

“Right.” 

“She said you two made out. That she wanted to fuck you all night.” 

Stan looked away and stood up. “Let’s go, Jake.” 

“No. Let’s not.” The man interrupted. “I’m not done with you yet man. So what was it? Did she not tell you she had a boyfriend?” 

Jacob remembered back to the note she’d written. She’d mentioned a juvie boyfriend, but what was his name…

“Answer me dickhead!” 

“Listen, man… I’m not looking for any trouble. Jenny kissed me, but I didn’t want to kiss her. Nothing ever came of it I swear.” 

“Like I’m supposed to believe that.”

“Well it’s the truth so-” Jacob’s words were interrupted by a fist being brought down right on his face. He fell, almost in slow motion, looking to the world around him. Stan, the love of his life punched back for him, hitting this guy square in the jaw. Suddenly three more punk wannabes emerged from behind the tree, where they’d been waiting. The first man tackled Stan, knocking the wind out of him and sending him straight to the ground. He held his wrist down, the other hand holding a knife to his throat. 

Jacob cried out to him, his words almost inaudible. Two of the others were kicking him from his position on the ground, and he cradled his head to his chest. “Please… don’t hurt him.” 

“Yeah? Well, you should’ve thought about that before you killed Jenny!” Jonathan, right- his name was Jonathan, bent down to his knees. He met Jacob’s gaze, holding a knife up to his face. He traced his jawline, and Jacob forced himself to look away. To look at Stan, poor Stan who always seemed to get caught up in all the wrong situations. 

“I… I didn’t kill her. I swear to god.” 

“Save it for the court. If you make it there,” Jonathan said eerily. Next the unthinkable happened, something nobody there would ever forget, no matter how hard they tried, o matter how much weed they smoked. Jonathan quickly stabbed his knife into Jacob, gliding like butter, hot in the afternoon sun. 

Jacob smiled, and the other two dropped him. He laughed, and blood trickled from his broken nose to his mouth. He laughed maniacally, his teeth red now. Metallic. Familiar.  
“FUCK YOU!” 

Jonathan twisted the knife to the left, watching Jacob wrench in pain beneath him. It was exhilarating. 

He pulled the knife out suddenly, an orgasmic relief that Jacob knew all too well, and despite the agonizing pain, Jacob felt content. Maybe this was meant to be. Not Shawn and Jason, but Jacob and Stan. This is what he deserved. Justice had finally been served. 

“JAKE!” Stan found the strength to spit in his attacker’s face, writhing beneath him until he let go. 

“Let’s go boys,” Jonathan said sternly. Leave em’ to die. It’s what they deserve.”

They ran to a nearby car, driving off as quickly as they’d arrived. 

“Jake- oh my god,” Stanley crawled over to his boyfriend, who was still laughing. He quickly pressed his hands down onto the wound. He’d been stabbed in his abdomen, which wasn’t a good sign. “Jake!” He began to cry, crying so hard he could hardly see him smiling, slowly licking the blood from his own hands. Methodically he licked as much as he could, savoring the feeling- the taste of fresh plasma. Actual genuine feelings. Pain, lust- the salty tears mixed with his blood, a concoction he never expected to experience but didn't dream of denying. Oh yes, this was definitely meant to be. 

“Jake,” Stan took his hand, sticky from his bloody saliva. “Jake I love you so much.” He was whispering, still catching his breath, working up the strength to yell. “GOD SOMEBODY HELP ME!” 

“Stan…” Jacob found himself drifting in and out of consciousness, wishing the knife were still in him, that he would keep it forever. 

Stan heard as someone began to run over; the sharp screaming of a young girl. 

He kissed Jacob passionately, praying to himself that it wasn’t goodbye. And it couldn’t be, right? 

“I love you too Stanny…” with that Jacob finally lost consciousness, unable to withstand the pain. 

Stan grasped him, sobbing harder than he ever had in his life. “Help...help me...” he choked between sobs and watched as the crowd ran over to him. Andy knelt next to him, applying pressure now as Stan cupped his face. 

“Stan what happened!” he said hurriedly, unable to process the reality of the situation. “Someone call 911! Please! God... that's my boy!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahahahaaaa pain 
> 
> also I'm so sorry for the Brittany Spears jokes,, and the Donna Tartt references,,, and how rushed the beginning is,,, no I'm not ok :)


	22. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hahaha I'm not crying I swearrr

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want Andy to be my dad if you can't tell

“I… I promised. I promised I’d take care of him.” 

Andy shook his head in disbelief, recalling the memory. Jacob confessing, a real confession of a real murder. It was all too much. Everything was too much. He hadn’t even realized he’d said it out loud. 

“He’ll be ok, he has to be.” 

Stanley was the only other visitor. Jacob’s room was a gloomy sight. The doctors said he was in another coma, and that things didn’t look great. Waking up from a coma without complications was a miracle the first time. The odds were stacked against Jacob Barber for the first time since his birth. He’d cheated one too many times. Prison, genetics, life in general. It seemed nothing could ever go too wrong, until now. 

The knife had penetrated his right lumbar region, lodging itself into his small intestine. The lead surgeon on call had managed to salvage some of the organ, but the harsh nature of the crime and the twisting of the knife had caused unforeseeable damage. Some of the organ had to be dissected, and a combination of trauma and copious time under anesthesia had left Jacob in a medically induced coma. 

Stan played Brittany spears every day, hoping he’d remember somehow. Sometimes he wallowed in pain outside the room, knowing he couldn’t cry listening to “toxic.” Things had been rough. Laurie left Andy and was staying with Maggie Novak for the time being. Andy took care of Stan, bringing him food and taking him home to Jacob’s room when hospital hours closed. He’d never felt such a strong bond with a stranger before. Andy told Stan everything Jacob had confessed, so Stan knew he could be trusted. Andy was the safest adult in Stan’s life, and after crying together for a week straight the two were inseparable. 

Despite the support, Stan still fell into a deep depression. He smoked constantly, and most of the hospital staff cracked jokes about the “lonely stoner” after he’d left. He developed a reputation this way; sulking around Jacob’s room praying that he’d just wake up one more time, like a cat sensing death. 

Stan hadn’t gone to school in days. The police had wrapped up their investigation; Jonathan’s attack was a clear motive. They speculated he somehow killed Brad too, jealous that he’d gotten with Jenny. A court date was set, and they’d determine the rest during the trial. Jonathan’s parents had gone to Andy one day, begging for him to defend their son. They had no idea he was Jacob’s father. Despite how mean and nasty he wanted to be, how a stern “fuck off” could go a long way, Andy politely turned them down. He’d cried for almost an hour afterward, breaking some mundane decorations in a fit of rage. It was some kind of sick metaphor; the broken glassware. The room was seemingly perfect. White walls, grey couch, modern- simple. But their family was anything but that. Broken glass, fragile and beautiful. Jacob was hospitalized. Laurie had finally left him. Finally. Did that imply she was destined to leave him all along? Andy was almost sure of it. He let himself go into Jacob’s room for the first time since the accident that night, the room Stan was staying in. 

“Hey, kiddo. I’m sorry about all that ruckus.” 

Stan let himself laugh a little. Compared to all the “ruckus” at his house, Andy’s outburst was nothing. “It’s alright Mr. Barber.” 

Andy glanced around Jacob’s room. The last time he’d been in here he’d found a graphic story, Shawn and Jason, and his descriptive demise. Andy shuddered at the thought. 

Psychologically he knew Stan wasn’t well. Obvious signs pointed towards a depressive episode, but he knew it was more than that. Jacob, his own son, had fucked him up beyond comprehension. Jacob made him believe he was weak, that he was right to submit to someone like him. Stan obviously had a bad home life as well, which probably contributed to his lack of self-esteem. His relationship with Sydney Novak was eerily similar; the power dynamic, the one-sided support. Which begged the real question- one Andy couldn’t quite answer. 

Stan helped Jacob. He made him better. Hell, looking around his room proved it. The boys had decorated it interestingly, but it had character. But despite all that Stan was in the same boat as Andy. Both couldn’t keep Jacob from killing, no matter how hard they tried. Was it worth it to let Stan keep throwing himself at Jacob when all it did was harm him in the process? Andy Loved Stan as his own, but the truth was undeniable. Jacob hurt Stan, plain and simple. 

“Stanley,” Andy looked away from the boy, instead of focusing on Jacob’s half-empty bookshelf. 

Stan looked up at him in response. “You know you can go, right? No one is making you stay with him. I know it must be difficult, but just know I can help you. You don’t have to stay with your parents either.” 

Stan sighed anxiously, knowing it was a matter of time before Andy grew tired of him. They always did. Every single time. “It’s ok if you want me to leave.” 

Andy turned to him now, eyes wide in disbelief. “No! No no, it’s not that son, It’s just-complicated. Jacob is hurting you, and I can’t let anyone else get hurt by his actions. I really just want the best for you.” 

Stan pondered that for a moment. Nobody had ever truly had his best interest in mind like this. “I don’t care what he’s done.” Stan debated saying “I love him anyway,” but decided that was a little too soft. He would need another hit for sure. 

“Stan… you guys have only been dating for a month or so. You don’t have to throw away your life for him.” 

Stan tried to respond, he did, but his desperation finally made him realize he was not well. I can’t live without him. I need him. I love him. The realization that Andy was right hurt the most. More than Jacob’s hospitalization. It hurt knowing he was so dependent, so submissive and so used. It hurt knowing his only goal in life was Jacob; to follow Jacob, to love him. 

Loving Jacob was the hardest thing he’d ever done. 

Did he even love him? Andy was right, they’d only dated for a month or so. Four dates. One murder. How could he forget everything he stood for? 

As a child, Stan resented his dad; for using him, for hating him. His clarity told him Jacob wasn’t much different from his dad. He hurt people. It didn’t matter that Stan wasn’t included in those physically hurt. Eh, well he kinda was. 

Andy observed as Stan fell deep into his thoughts, overwhelmed by cognitive dissonance. Loving Jacob went against all his morality. Was he worth it? 

“Listen, Stanley, I have a proposition for you.” 

Stan blinked twice as he glanced up at Andy again. 

“I’m thinking of taking Jacob somewhere secluded. Maybe rural Canada, or somewhere along those lines. Somewhere away from people.” 

“When he wakes up?” 

Andy grimaced. “Yeah, when he wakes up.” He didn’t even care that he was in denial. “I was thinking maybe you could come with us if you want to that is.” 

“But my parents.” 

“I can foster you until you're an adult. I would never go behind your back, but I could report them for neglect. Listen to me Stanley; I know what it’s like to not be safe at home. My dad, well I don't know if Jacob told you this but my dad was a killer too. He was cold, distant, and he took it out on me. I don’t ever want to see you go through that too.” 

Stanley was stunned, and he felt like crying. 

“Why are you doing this for me?” 

Andy smiled weakly, “I’m just doing what’s right.” He sensed Stan’s embarrassment and changed the topic. “How about you try going to school tomorrow?” 

“Sure.” Stan slept better that night, dreaming of a future without his dad. Andy’s offer was one he’d waited for his whole life, but nothing was guaranteed. Stan remembered back to middle school, back when his mom was sober. They’d watch true crime all the time, and Stan had always hoped his dad would end up like that one day, missing, forgotten, alone. He didn’t have to worry about any of that now. 

“Stan! Oh my god, what happened?” Dina was hugging him, but he was hardly aware of it. 

“Yeah we saw the ambulance at Brad’s funeral and figured something happened to Jacob- then his mom showed up at my door.” 

Laurie. “How’s that going?” 

“Oh well she’s depressed and all. It’s kinda pathetic. She’s trying to ‘get back on her feet,’ but it’s not like they’ve even legally divorced yet. Anyways, how’s Jacob?” 

“Not great. He’s in a coma.” 

Dina sighed, “I'm sorry to hear that Stan. Maybe we can visit him after school?” 

“I’d like that.” 

“Well let’s get to class, world history isn’t gonna wait for us,” Syd said awkwardly. 

“Yeah, let’s go I guess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dw it can only get better from here :))


End file.
